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Eye on Extremism
March 4, 2022
Reuters: Australia Lists All Of Hamas As A Terrorist Group
“Australia on Friday listed the entire Palestinian Islamist group Hamas as a terrorist organisation, calling the move a deterrent to political and religious violence and bringing Australia in line with the United States, the European Union and Britain. Australia had for two decades proscribed Hamas's paramilitary wing, the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, as a terrorist organisation but flagged last month that it wanted to upgrade the listing to the whole organisation, a process that involved consulting Australia's state and territory leaders. The change puts Australia into lockstep with its allies, which have also been moving to tighten their opposition to the Gaza ruling body, citing its access to sophisticated weaponry and terrorist training facilities. "The hateful ideologies of terrorist groups and those who support them have no place in Australia," Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews said in a statement. "Our strong laws target not only terrorist acts and terrorists, but also the organisations that plan, finance and carry out these abhorrent acts," she added.”
CNN: Supreme Court Blocks Torture Testimony Sought By Terrorism Suspect Held In Guantanamo Bay
“The Supreme Court said Thursday that the US government can -- in the name of national security -- shield the testimony of two former government contractors from a terrorism suspect who seeks to use the information in a criminal proceeding abroad. Abu Zubaydah, who the government says is a former associate of Osama bin Laden, was subject to “enhanced interrogation techniques” in a CIA detention center abroad and is now being held in Guantanamo Bay. His lawyers want to use the information to hold Polish officials accountable for what Zubaydah says was his unlawful detention and torture in a CIA facility in Stare Kiejkuty, Poland. In ruling against Zubaydah, Justice Stephen Breyer noted that the “states secrets privilege” permits the government to prevent disclosure of information “when that disclosure would harm national security interests.” “It stands to reason that a former CIA insider's confirmation of confidential cooperation between the CIA and a foreign intelligence service could damage the CIA's clandestine relationships with foreign authorities,” Breyer, the court's senior liberal justice, said. Six justices said that the case should be dismissed. Although Justice Elena Kagan agreed with much of the majority's analysis, she would have sent the dispute back down to the lower court to allow the process to go forward.”
United States
The Hill: ADL Sees Uptick In Antisemitic Propaganda In 2021
“White supremacist propaganda dipped slightly in 2021 after hitting a record high in 2020, but antisemitic speech jumped 27 percent, according to figures compiled by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL). The ADL tracked a total of 4,851 incidents of White supremacist hate speech, ranging from content seen on fliers, stickers, posters and even graffiti. The figure represented a drop of roughly 5 percent from 2020, which saw a record-breaking 5,125 incidents. But the minimal dip in overall hate speech was coupled with a surge in antisemitic propaganda. Among the images included in the report are propaganda calling “every single aspect of the Covid agenda” Jewish, incorrectly identifying several public health experts as Jewish. Jan. 6 and the prosecution of Kyle Rittenhouse have also been popular topics. “Using main stream issues as talking points to normalize their ideology and try to frame it as what they believe is white victimization or even white genocide,” said Carla Hill, associate director of the Center on Extremism at ADL. “The end goal is to make people believe they are under such a threat they have to act,” she added, noting it can also serve as a recruiting tool. The U.S. has seen a startling rise in antisemitic attacks in recent years, and the latest ADL hate speech data is a marked increase from the 294 incidents of antisemitic content it tracked in 2017.”
Yemen
The National: US Houthi Terrorist Designation Still Under Consideration
“A career US diplomat said on Thursday that the State Department was still considering re-designating the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen as a terrorist organisation, more than a month after President Joe Biden said he was looking at the move. Steven Fagin made the comments during his confirmation hearing before the Senate to serve as the US ambassador to Yemen. Mr Fagin pledged that the Biden administration would “continue targeted designations of individuals and entities that seek to perpetuate conflict and the humanitarian crisis in Yemen for their own gain”. “The possible designation of the Houthis as a [foreign terrorist organisation] is under review by the administration,” he told Republican Ted Cruz. “My understanding is that the review is considering the anticipated impact of such a designation on the behaviour of the Houthis, as well as the anticipated impact on the humanitarian situation.” The UAE asked the Biden administration to re-designate the Houthis as a terrorist group after the rebels launched attacks on Abu Dhabi in January following significant defeats at the hands of pro-government militia in Yemen’s oil-rich Shabwa province. But re-designating the rebels as a terrorist group would affect the transfer of humanitarian aid to Houthi-held areas, where about 70 per cent of the Yemeni population lives.”
Nigeria
Reuters: More Than 200 Gunmen Killed In Nigeria Security Operation -Official
“At least 200 gunmen were killed in the past three days in Nigeria's central-northern state of Niger during a security operation to clear armed gangs from the area, a state commissioner said on Thursday. Gunmen have terrorised citizens in the north and northwest of the country and have gained notoriety for kidnapping hundreds of students and villagers for ransom and killing dozens. The Niger regional commissioner in charge of internal security, Emmanuel Umar, said some leaders of the armed gangs, known locally as bandits, were among those killed during an operation led by the army and volunteers from local vigilante groups and community leaders. In a statement, Umar said 60 motorbikes, which the gangs use to raid villages, weapons and cattle, were recovered from gunmen operating from camps deep inside the vast forests in the state. An army spokesman did not immediately respond to questions. At least four Nigerian security personnel were killed when their patrol vehicle detonated a landmine in Niger last month, and gunmen killed an unknown number of people.”
“The Department of State Services (DSS) has alerted security agents over plots by 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 to attack them, using suicide bombers. The Chairman of Zonal Quarterly Conference of State Directors of Security (SDES) Northeastern States, Babagana Bulama, disclosed this on Thursday in Maiduguri, Borno State capital. According to Bulama, who also doubles as Director DSS in Adamawa state, the agency has received an intelligence that ISWAP members are training suicide bombers to carry out deadly attacks on security agencies and vulnerable communities. He said, “The most prominent of these security challenges in the zone are terrorism and insurgency, occasioned by the activities of Boko Haram terrorists and its splinter Islamic State West Africa Province ISWAP which have over the time left an indelible mark in the zone, interms of security and development. “Although, attacks by the Insurgents in parts of the zone recently have reduced, owing to counter terrorism operations by security forces, available intelligence has indicated that ISWAP are training suicide bombers with a view to carrying out deadly attacks on security agencies and vulnerable communities.”
“The 2022 Global Terrorism Index (GTI) report has some cheery news about Nigeria – attacks by the deadly terror group, Boko Haram, appears to have declined in the country, as the group is now preoccupied with attacks on neighbouring West African countries. Nigeria has also gone down to the sixth position globally, among the countries that have been hard hit by terrorism in 2021, according to the report. It had occupied the third position for more than three years before now. Afghanistan tops the list of countries most impacted by terrorism in 2021, followed by Iraq and Somalia. The fourth and fifth positions are occupied by Burkina Faso and Syria. Boko Haram, for more than a decade, has been waging an armed insurgency against Nigeria, especially in the country’s North-east region, leading to loss of thousands of lives. The GTI report, released on Wednesday, said Boko Haram was responsible for only 69 deaths in Nigeria in 2021, a decrease of 77 per cent from the previous year. “This is the lowest number of deaths by the group for a decade,” the report said. Total deaths from terrorism in Nigeria fell to 448 in 2021, the lowest level since 2011, according to the report. The report, however, said the number of terrorist attacks increased by 49 per cent between 2020 and 2021.”
France
Reuters: France Launches Terrorism Probe After Attack On Jailed Corsican Nationalist
“French prosecutors said on Thursday they were launching a terrorism investigation after Corsican nationalist Yvan Colonna was violently attacked on Wednesday by another prisoner in a jail in Arles, Southern France. According to French media reports, Colonna is in a coma after being strangled in the prison's gym. “The circumstances of the act and initial elements of the probe can rule out a personal motivation,” the statement said. The man who allegedly carried the attack was serving a nine-year sentence for planning terrorist attacks, it added. Colonna, a Corsican shepherd, is serving a life sentence for the 1998 murder of Claude Erignac, who as prefect of Corsica embodied the power of the French state on an island with a history of separatist violence.”
AFP: Mother Of Bataclan Attacker Faces Trial In Paris For 'Financing Terrorism'
“The mother of one of the 2015 Bataclan concert hall attackers is facing trial in Paris, accused of “financing terrorism”. Fatima Hajji, 53, is charged with sending €13,000 to her son and his partner while they were in Iraq and Syria, between 2014 and 2015. She was due to appear before the Paris Criminal Court on Thursday but the case has now been adjourned to March 2022 to give her more time to prepare her defence. Hajji's son -- Foued Mohamed Aggad -- was one of three suicide bombers who stormed the Paris theatre during the November 2015 terror attacks. His partner Hajira Belkhir -- who is presumed dead -- is also being prosecuted for “terrorist criminal association”. Prosecutors say that Aggad left France for left for Syria in December 2013 with other members of the so-called Strasbourg network. But he maintained regular contact with his mother and other family members in northeastern France, officials say. Six of his relatives, including his mother and aunt, were arrested in June as part of a preliminary investigation by the National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor's Office for “financing terrorism”. “In his exchanges with his mother, he indicated that, if he were to return to France, it would only be to commit an attack,” investigators said.”
The National: French Monitoring Volunteers For Ukraine Over Extremism Concerns
“Facebook groups set up to rally support for international brigades to defend Ukraine are being monitored by security agencies amid concerns that extremists could exploit the crisis, according to French media reports. Radio station Europe 1 said about 50 people had been identified of potential concern in France including a small number holding extreme right-wing views – some backing President Vladimir Putin and others the neo-Nazi Azov Battalion, a volunteer militia that fought pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine in 2014. British anti-fascist organisation Hope not Hate said it had monitored chat groups linked to an Azov support group in which a few extremists had discussed travelling to Ukraine to join the volunteers to fight. The crisis in Ukraine is proving a “particularly evocative and complex topic for the far right, and may well prompt further quarrels and even splits in the coming weeks and months”, the group said. President Vladimir Putin cited groups such as the Azov Battalion, which was incorporated into the National Guard of Ukraine, as part of his reason for his “special military operation” to “de-Nazify Ukraine”. Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who is Jewish, urged foreigners on Sunday to head to embassies in their countries to sign up for an international brigade to defend the country.”
Europe
Newsweek: As Ukraine Rallies Nation To Defend From Russia, Far-Right Joins The Fight
“…Newsweek has previously reported on the movement of members of far-right militias, including those from the U.S., to Ukraine. Hans-Jakob Schindler, senior director of the Counter Extremist Project, said public calls for action may only exacerbate the trend. "Immediately after the invasion, some groups within Ukraine affiliated with right-wing extremism, in particular the Azov Regiment, which is now part of the Ukrainian Interior Ministry, have put out public calls on social media for volunteers to come and join them," Schindler told Newsweek. "The Azov Regiment issued fairly detailed travel instructions via its social media channels but made clear that a) travel will not be facilitated until the individual is in Ukraine and b) no payment will be given for the volunteers and c) several months of service should be expected." He noted that this was a reversal of the previous stance forbidding international recruits as part of a bid to become integrated into the Interior Ministry.”
Eurasia Review: Terrorism Attacks, Deaths Likely To Spike Amid Russia-Ukraine War
“Despite a downward trend in terrorism across Europe in the past decade, attacks and deaths could increase as the Ukrainian conflict intensifies, according to a report published by the Institute of Economics and Peace (IEP) on Wednesday (2 March). The report shows that 97% of all terror attacks carried out in 2021 were in conflict zones, suggesting the same is likely to happen in Ukraine following Russia’s invasion. “When you had the war in 2014, terrorist attacks and deaths spiked up really quite highly, and a similar thing happened in Georgia in 2008,” IEP founder Steve Killelea told EURACTIV. Moreover, cyber attacks might increase in the next few months, following a spike in the weeks leading up to the conflict. On Monday (28 February), Microsoft Corp reported a “new round of offensive and destructive cyberattacks directed against Ukraine’s digital infrastructure” in the hours before the invasion. Killelea said, “this is a new phase of warfare we’ve never seen,” and added that cyber-attacks are particularly worrying because they often cross borders. Last week, the EU deployed a cyber rapid-response team (CRRT) to support Ukraine’s cybersecurity, made of experts from six European countries.”
The Atlanta Journal- Constitution: Ukraine Seen As Training Ground For Some On Far Right
“...On Wednesday, the Counter Extremism Project issued a fresh warning that the invasion “has sparked online activity from far-right white nationalists and neo-Nazi groups” motivated to join the conflict. Far-right paramilitary groups like the Azov Battalion rose up in response to the 2014 Crimea crisis to fight separatists in eastern Ukraine. The groups’ white supremacist and antisemitic beliefs were “bad press” for the Ukrainian government, but they were needed on the front lines, Malet said. As the formal Ukrainian military gained capacity, the government sought to discourage foreign extremists from entering the country and moderate the Azov Battalion by absorbing it into the national guard. “A lot of Russian propaganda has focused on Nazi ties, trying to paint all the volunteers and in Ukraine as Nazis, when again it’s probably been pretty good mix of it on both sides,” Malet said. Russian President Vladimir Putin has used “denazification” of Ukraine as one of several narratives to justify his attack, beginning last month, on the country. Hans Jakob-Schindler, senior director of the Counter Extremism Project, a nonpartisan policy group that studies extremist ideologies, said Putin’s claims are pure propaganda, pointing out that Ukraine’s centrist president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, is Jewish. “That is, apparently, a very new kind of Nazi that only a Russian understands how that works,” he said “This is not a right-wing, extremist-run state.’”
Southeast Asia
Associated Press: Philippines: 7 Militants Killed, Bombs Seized In Recent Raid
“Philippine troops killed at least seven Muslim insurgents aligned with the Islamic State group in a recent offensive in the south and recovered 45 heavy firearms and several bombs and land mines that were to be used in future attacks, military officials said Thursday. About 60 Muslim militants were in the remote camp near Maguing in Lanao del Sur province when it was attacked Tuesday by fighter jets and army forces, military officials said. It was not immediately clear whether their leader, Abu Zacariah, was among those killed or managed to escape. One soldier was killed and five others were wounded in the fighting, the officials said. Zacariah has been implicated in past attacks and bombings and is suspected of being the newly designated leader of the Islamic State group in Southeast Asia, said army infantry brigade commander Brig. Gen. Jose Maria Cuerpo II, who oversaw Tuesday’s offensive. Two factions of the militant group Daulah Islamiyah, linked to the Islamic State group, appear to have merged and camped near Maguing in January. At the time, some power transmission towers in the region were bombed in attacks claimed by the Islamic State group, prompting the military to intensify its surveillance and prepare for an offensive, Cuerpo said. “The troops were ready to attack but they assessed it would be difficult to storm the encampment, which was protected by heavy weapons,” Cuerpo told reporters. He said that prompted him to first launch airstrikes against the insurgents.”
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