“Altaf Hussain, a once feared politician who controlled Karachi for decades
from his home in north London, was acquitted by a jury of encouraging acts

 

 


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Eye on Extremism


February 16, 2022

 

Bloomberg: Pakistani Leader Altaf Hussain Acquitted In U.K. Terrorism Case
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“Altaf Hussain, a once feared politician who controlled Karachi for decades
from his home in north London, was acquitted by a jury of encouraging acts of
terrorism after making fiery speeches to followers in Pakistan’s turbulent
financial capital. The verdict was reached by a majority decision in London on
Tuesday. Prosecution lawyers played jurors guttural over-the-phone broadcasts
made by 68-year-old Hussain on Aug. 22, 2016, where he was accused of urging a
crowd of hunger strikers in Karachi to ransack media houses and storm the local
headquarters of a military unit. Two TV studios were soon after attacked and
taken off air, while police officers were assaulted and injured, prosecutors
said. One person was killed in the violence. But Rupert Bowers, a defense
lawyer, sought to cast doubt over whether Hussain meant for his words to be
taken literally that day. He urged jurors to judge the case “by the yardstick
of Pakistan” and its “endemic violence.” “Mr. Hussain did nothing other than he
has always done in trying to represent an oppressed part of the population
while organizing what is axiomatically a peaceful protest by way of hunger
strike,” Bowers said in his summing up. “If violence ensued in the latter part
of that day he’s regretful of that -- he’s not a terrorist.”

 

Reuters: Gunfire, Explosions Rock Somalian Capital In Militant Attacks
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“Gunfire and explosions went off in Somalia's capital Mogadishu in the early
hours of Wednesday as al Shabaab militants attacked police stations and
security check points, the internal security minister said. Al Qaeda-linked al
Shabaab, which aims to topple the central government and impose its severe
interpretation of Islamic law, carries out frequent attacks against the
government, including attacking a minibus carrying election delegates last
week. “The terrorists attacked the suburbs of Mogadishu and targeted our police
stations and check points,” Abdullahi Nor, the minister, wrote on Twitter. “Our
security defeated the enemy.” There were no immediate details on casualties.
Police would provide more details on the attacks, the minister said. There was
no immediate comment from al Shabaab.”

 

Syria

 

Associated Press: Bomb Blasts Military Bus In Syrian Capital, Killing 1
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“A bomb attached to a bus carrying Syrian troops in Damascus exploded Tuesday
morning, killing one soldier and wounding 11, state TV reported. The blast
happened during rush hour at a customs roundabout near the capital's landmark
Omayyad Square, according to the report. It gave no further details. There was
no immediate claim of responsibility. Such attacks have occurred in Damascus in
recent months amid an otherwise calm period in the capital. Government forces
captured rebel-held eastern neighborhoods of the city in 2018. Government
forces now control much of Syria with the help of President Bashar Assad's
allies Russia and Iran, while rebels are mostly cornered in the country’s
northwestern province of Idlib. U.S. and Turkish troops, meanwhile, are
deployed in parts of the country’s north and east. In October, two bombs
attached to a bus carrying Syrian troops exploded in Damascus, killing 14. It
was one of the deadliest bombings in the capital in years. A little-known group
calling itself the Qasioun Brigades claimed responsibility for the attack at
the time. In recent years, attacks in Damascus have been rare. One of the last
major explosions to take place was in 2017 — when suicide bombers hit a
judicial office building and a restaurant, killing nearly 60 people. The
attacks were claimed by Islamic State group militants.”

 

Turkey

 

Al Monitor: Islamic State Collaborators Received Turkish Citizenship, Official
Report Shows
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“Shortly after the Islamic State’s (IS's) leader was killed in a Syrian
hideout near the Turkish border, a leaked report by Turkey’s Financial Crimes
Investigation Board (MASAK) revealed details about how the jihadi group used
the country to traffic money and obtain supplies, including drone parts. The
March 8, 2021, report by the MASAK, a body attached to Turkey’s Treasury and
Finance Ministry, indicates that IS members acquired equipment and parts to
make drones and improvised explosive devices with the help of companies set up
in Turkey, and used exchange offices, jewelry shops, post offices and banks to
transfer money. Furthermore, it reveals that some IS-linked individuals
investigated by the MASAK have acquired Turkish citizenship. The 279-page
document, obtained by Al-Monitor, was first reported by journalist Bahadir
Ozgur in the daily BirGun last week and has since made it to parliament’s
agenda. The most striking details pertain to the activities of three companies
set up by the Aleppo-born Ibrahim Hag Gneid in Turkey’s southern province of
Mersin in 2014 and 2016. The companies — Altun Inci, Mavi Yelken and Elfarah —
were registered as businesses dealing in construction materials, industrial
supplies and hardware.”

 

Afghanistan

 

Voice Of America: Islamic State, Al-Qaida Building Support In Afghanistan,
Report Says
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“Despite lingering concerns among some officials in Washington that
Afghanistan is on its way to once again becoming a terrorist haven, recent U.S.
defense and intelligence assessments seem to indicate that at least for now,
groups like Islamic State and al-Qaida are not ready to use the country as a
launch pad for attacks against the West. The appraisal from U.S. Central
Command, the Defense Intelligence Agency and others is part of a just-released
report by the Defense Department Inspector General examining the potential
threats emanating from Afghanistan following the U.S. withdrawal from the
country six months ago. It runs contrary to concerns voiced since October by
top Pentagon officials, who warned IS-Khorasan could be ready to strike at the
West and at the U.S. in as little as six months, with al-Qaida regenerating the
same capacity in as little as a year. “Both al-Qaida and ISIS-K have the intent
to conduct external operations,” Colin Kahl, Defense Department undersecretary
for policy, told the Senate Armed Services Committee at the time, using an
acronym for Islamic State’s Afghan affiliate. IS-Khorasan Province, as the IS
affiliate is also known, in particular seems more focused on solidifying its
support within Afghanistan instead of preparing to strike at enemies further
afield.”

 

Associated Press: Six Months Of Taliban: Afghans Safer, Poorer, Less Hopeful
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“Afghanistan has undergone a dramatic transformation in half a year of Taliban
rule. The country feels safer, less violent than it has in decades, but the
once aid-fueled economy is barreling toward collapse. Tens of thousands of
Afghans have fled or have been evacuated, including large numbers of the
educated elites. They either fear for their economic future or lack of freedom
under a group that ascribes to a strict interpretation of Islam and during its
previous rule in the late 1990s barred girls from school and women from work.
Tuesday marks six months since the Afghan capital of Kabul was ceded to the
Taliban with the sudden and secret departure of the country's U.S.-backed
president. The takeover of Kabul had been preceded by a months-long Taliban
military campaign to take control of provincial areas, many of which fell with
hardly a fight. Today, the sight of armed Taliban fighters roaming the street
still jars and frightens residents. But women have returned to  traditional
shalwar kameez, the long shirt and baggy pants favored by the Taliban. Unlike
in the 1990s, the Taliban are allowing some women to work.”

 

Yemen

 

The Times Of Israel: Israel Lobbying Biden For Houthi Terror Listing, At UAE’s
Behest
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“Israel has been pressing the Biden administration to designate Yemen’s Houthi
rebels as a terror group, at the United Arab Emirates’ behest, two officials
familiar with the matter told The Times of Israel. The Iran-backed Houthis have
been blamed for a series of drone and missile attacks on the UAE and Saudi
Arabia, which has ramped up in intensity over the last month. Amid the uptick
in attacks, Abu Dhabi has stepped up its lobbying for the terror designation
and has enlisted Israel in the effort. Jerusalem has agreed, telling Biden
officials that reimposing the terror designation would curb Iran’s “reckless”
influence in the region, an Israeli official said. “We’re not doing this only
for the Emiratis. We believe such a step is in everyone’s interest,” the
official added. The Foreign Ministry declined to comment on the matter. Former
US president Donald Trump added the Houthis to the State Department’s list of
foreign terrorist organizations during his final days in office. His successor
Joe Biden reversed the decision roughly a month later, as his administration
worked without success to jump-start peace talks and wind down the eight-year
war in Yemen that has claimed 130,000 lives. But following the latest Houthi
attacks, Biden told reporters in late January that a re-designation of the
Houthis.”

 

Lebanon

 

Breaking Hezbollah's Golden Rule: Hezbollah Goes Global
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In December 1983, six blasts shook Kuwait’s capital city. Two prominent
Hezbollah operatives oversaw the attack. Soon, bombs were going off in Paris,
Copenhagen, and Saudi Arabia, while other members of the group hijacked TWA
Flight 847 and murdered U.S. Navy diver Robert Stethem. What did Hezbollah
want? And why was a Lebanese-based militant group conducting attacks in Europe
and the Gulf? Guests: Nader Uskowi, former journalist and author of Temperature
Rising: Iran’s Revolutionary Guards and Wars in the Middle East, Dr. Hans-Jakob
Schindler, senior director at the Counter Extremism Project, Hans-Georg
Engelke, State Secretary at the German Federal Ministry of the Interior and
Community.

 

Middle East

 

The Jerusalem Post: Israel Seized NIS 103 Million Hamas Terror Funds -
Counterterror Financial Official
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“A range of moves by the government have led to the seizure of NIS 103 million
of Hamas terrorism funds, National Bureau for Counter Terror Financing of
Israel official Sagi Volkovitz said at a government conference on Tuesday. His
agency is part of the Defense Ministry. Volkovitz gave complex examples of
groups that would sell or deliver goods to Hamas in Gaza to get around banking
regulations, while a seemingly disconnected Hamas office in a foreign country
would pay for something in return that regulators would be hard-pressed to make
a connection with. The conference primarily highlighted the 20th anniversary
and work of the Israel Money Laundering and Terror Financing Prohibition
Authority (IMPA) headed by Shlomit Wagman, but it also featured officials from
other agencies, including the police, the prosecution and the courts. Wagman
said the IMPA works with the police, the prosecution, tax agencies, but also
“with the Mossad, the Shin Bet [Israel Security Agency] and other agencies in
ways that I cannot specify,” to combat terrorist financing and
money-laundering. She said the IMPA helps intelligence agencies and law
enforcement to be able to arrive at declaring certain groups as terrorist
organizations by helping them connect Israel’s adversaries’ complex schemes and
financial dots.”

 

Nigeria

 

Sahara Reporters: Improvised Explosives Planted By Boko Haram For Nigerian
Governor Kill Two Security Personnel
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“A roadside bomb planted by militants from the Islamic State-backed faction of
Boko Haram, the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), formerly known as
Jamā'at Ahl as-Sunnah lid-Da'wah wa'l-Jihād has killed two civilian in Dikwa
Local Government Area of Borno. Sahara Reporters learnt that the terrorists
planted the improvised explosive device (IED) on the road to ambush the convoy
of Governor Babagana Zulum travelling to Gamboru. Zulum and some top government
officials were on a working visit to the community to supervise the
distribution of relief materials to Internally Displaced Persons (IDP). The
deceased, both members of the Civilian JTF, loaded in an Izuzu van, were
heading to Gamboru from Dikwa, when the incident happened. In 2020, Zulum’s
convoy was attacked thrice by the terror group. Since the death of JAS leader,
Abubakar Shekau, ISWAP has been consolidating its grip in locations around Lake
Chad. In 2021, it appointed Wali Sani Shuwaram, a 45-year-old as the new Leader
(Wali) of ISWAP in Lake Chad. The sect’s membership has swollen with the
defection of hundreds of Boko Haram fighters under Shekau. The terror group has
caused over 100,000 deaths and displaced millions of individuals mainly in
Adamawa, Borno, and Yobe states.”

 

Somalia

 

Voice Of America: Terror Attacks Surge As Elections Drag In Somalia
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“A senior African Union official said Tuesday that while al-Shabab continues
to be the main security threat in Somalia, the AU is also monitoring a possible
resurgence of Islamic State. Francisco Caetano Jose Madeira, special
representative of the African Union Commission for Somalia and head of the AU
Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), said there has been an upsurge in
terrorism-related violence in Somalia, where the electoral process has been
dragging out. “The violence has mainly been perpetrated by al-Shabab, through
the use of IEDs, mortar attacks, ambushes, and targeted assassinations of
senior government officials, Somali security forces and civilians,” Madeira
told the U.N. Security Council. “We have also been monitoring with concern what
could be a resurgent Islamic State, as credible reports indicate that the group
carried out two improvised explosive device attacks and detonated a
vehicle-borne improvised explosive device in November 2021 and January 2022,
respectively.” Madeira said as they monitor the activities of both terror
groups, a clear picture is emerging. “Al-Shabab appears emboldened by its
determination to disrupt the ongoing electoral process,” he said.”

 

Africa

 

All Africa: Kenya: Five Reasons Why Militants Are Targeting Kenya's Lamu County
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“The frequency of terrorist attacks within Kenya's Lamu County on the border
with Somalia has been alarming. Frequent kidnappings there were the ostensible
reason Kenya invaded Somalia in 2011. Three years later, the seaside county was
the scene of a deadly attack in which 48 were killed during an Al-Shabaab
siege. Lamu is in the news again. In January this year, the government declared
a dusk-to-dawn curfew amidst a wave of killings. Several terrorist attacks have
also been carried out. Here are the five reasons why Lamu County is a constant
target of Al-Shabaab militants: 1. Unique topography. The natural and physical
features of Lamu county offer an ideal setting for political violence,
including insurgency and terrorism. It is one of the counties that border
Somalia. Its expansive Boni Forest comprises about 21.4% of the county's land
area. Lamu's proximity to Somalia, and the Boni Forest, therefore makes it
conducive for Al-Shabaab's infiltration. The forest provides a haven for
military training and a staging point for hit and run tactics The short
distance to Somalia also makes it easy for terrorists to move illicit weapons
that can be used for such crimes. Hotspots of violent extremism and terrorism
in Lamu include, Pandanguo Basuba, Boni Forest, Pangani, Gamba, Milihoi,
Bargoni, Mpeketoni, Amu, Witu, Kiunga, Faza, Pate, Siu and Dar es salaam Point.”

 

Canada

 

Express UK: Justin Trudeau Slammed For Vowing To Freeze Anti-Mandate
Protesters' Bank Accounts
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“…Liam Duffy, adviser at the Counter Extremism Project, noted: “Alarmism and
mislabelling protests, no matter how inconvenient, boisterous - or even how
odious you might find them - as terrorists, insurrectionists, white
supremacists has only served to manufacture consent for incredible state
overreach like this.” Ottawa protest leader Tamara Lich dismissed Mr Trudeau's
move to financially blackmail demonstrators. She said: “There are no threats
that will frighten us. We will hold the line.”

 

Europe

 

Fox News: MSNBC Report On Russia-Ukraine Conflict Features Ukrainian Neo-Nazi
Militant Group Training Civilians
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“A report that aired on MSNBC featured an infamous Ukrainian neo-Nazi group
training civilians for combat as tensions over a possible Russian invasion
grow. On Monday's “Morning Joe,” NBC News chief foreign affairs correspondent
Richard Engel led a report on the ground about some communities in Ukraine “are
taking matters into their own hands,” showing militants in a training session
in a room filled with civilians, calling it “basic training for the whole
family.” Engel's report highlighted a 79-year-old “great grandmother” learning
how to use a rifle. However, as pointed out by Aaron Maté of the Useful Idiot
podcast, the militants belong to the Azov Battalion as indicated by the
insignia on their uniforms. The Azov Battalion is a far-right volunteer force
that was banned by Congress to receive any U.S. foreign aid over what the FBI
determined was its ties to neo-Nazi ideologies. The group's logo features the
Wolfsangel, one of the symbols used by the Nazi army during World War II. The
same militants were featured on numerous MSNBC programs including “The Rachel
Maddow Show” and “The 11th Hour” but Engel's reports no longer showcased the
Azov Battalion insignia on the uniform like it did on “Morning Joe.”

 

Southeast Asia

 

The Diplomat: Rohingya Militancy: Myth Or Reality?
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“…Even before the ARSA attacks in 2016 and 2017, organizations such as the
International Crisis Group, Rand corporation, Counter Extremism Project, and
individual scholars have expressed concerns about a forthcoming wave of
Rohingya radicalization. Some scholars identify internal and external factors
for the rise of Rohingya militancy. Internal factors include the trauma caused
by torture in Myanmar, the denial of basic and fundamental rights, the dream of
an independent Rakhine State, and the social structures of the refugee camps.
External causes include ideas of Muslim brotherhood, jihadism provoked by
transnational groups, prejudice against non-Muslims, and the convenient
environment for the development of such organizations. As a result of these
factors, the sentiment of ummah (Muslim community) could well grow among
Rohingyas, given that they have “long suffered suppression and persecution by
both the Myanmar government and extremist Buddhists.” Rohingyas’ contested
identity has also been identified as a catalyst for radicalization. These
academic prophecies became reality after the expulsions of 2017, when
transnational militant organizations started exploiting the plight of the
Rohingyas. In September 2017, al-Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahiri urged “all
mujahidin brothers in Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, and the Philippines to set
out for Burma to help their Muslim brothers.”

 

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