Islamist & Anti-Muslim Extremism |  | Sadak Mohamed/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images | U.S. Targets Al Shabab The US conducted a drone strike against Al Shabab militants in Somalia after they attacked US allied Somali forces in Duduble. This was the first military action against the Al Qaeda affiliate in East Africa since August. Africa Command had authority to conduct strikes, in support of allied forces, under what the military calls collective self-defense. President Biden is nearing a decision on a Pentagon-backed proposal to restore some of the troops in Somalia that were withdrawn during the previous administration, as a way to improve training and coordination with Somalia security forces. Maine Teen Planned Chicago Mosque Bombings Xavier Pelkey of Waterville, Maine was charged after Federal agents discovered three improvised explosive devices during a search of his apartment on Feb. 11.
Pelkey discussed plans to travel to Chicago to attack a mosque and other houses of worship.
Pelkey is charged with possession of an unregistered destructive device, a felony that carries a sentence of up to 10 years in prison. | | |
| |
Alt-Right & Alt-Left Extremism |  | Megan Varner/Getty Images | Ahmaud Arbery’s Killers Found Guilty of Hate Crimes - A jury found defendants Travis McMichael, his father Greg McMichael, and their neighbor William "Roddie" Bryan guilty on all counts in a federal hate crimes trial for the murder of 25-year-old Ahmaud Arbery in Brunswick, Ga. on Feb. 23, 2020.
- All three defendants were previously convicted in a separate state trial with felony murder and multiple other felonies for their roles in Mr. Arbery’s killing.
- The federal charges carry a maximum life sentence.
White Supremacists Plot an Attack on US Power Grid - Three men pleaded guilty to terrorism charges for engaging in a plot to attack US power grids with powerful rifles. The defendants believed an extended national power outage would cause a race war and further advance their white supremacist agenda.
BLM Wasting Millions on Consultants - Following the California Department of Justice ordering Black Lives Matter leaders to release details regarding $60 million in charitable donations, it was revealed the group spent nearly a third ($12.7 million) of the $60 million in donations it received in 2020 on consultants and lawyers.
Anti-Asian Hate Crime Conviction Texas resident Jose Gomez III, 21, pleaded guilty to hate crime charges for attacking an Asian family. Gomez admitted after his attack that he believed the Asian family was Chinese and he blamed them for the COVID-19 pandemic. | | |
| |
Hostile Foreign Influence Operations |  | Nikolas Kokovlis/NurPhoto via Getty Images | Social Media Removes Disinformation Campaigns Against Ukraine Chinese Hackers Target Taiwan - A group aligned with the Chinese government has been linked to an organized supply chain attack on Taiwan's financial sector.
| | |
| |
Research and Analysis | - A recent poll conducted by the Ruderman Family Foundation found that nearly half of US Jews report to have experienced or know someone who experienced antisemitism in the last five years, according to new survey from the Ruderman Family Foundation.
Read More
- Terrorism researchers have noted there has been a global decline in terrorism in the past few years, due in part by the coronavirus pandemic, and that states need to prepare for a rebound in terrorism
Read More | | |
| |
| |
QUOTABLE
“Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom, must, like men, undergo the fatigues of supporting it.”
--Thomas Paine
| | |
NOTE TO OUR READERS: We have pulled out the salient points of the articles in this newsletter to keep you informed and focused on the most relevant, important and timely news in national security and extremism. While our national security experts stand behind the summary bullets and deem them trustworthy, Clarion Project does not endorse all the views expressed in the articles linked. | | |
