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Eye on Extremism
March 23, 2022
The Wall Street Journal: Suspected Terrorist Attack In Israel Leaves Four Dead
“An assailant killed four people and seriously injured two others in southern Israel Tuesday, stabbing several people and ramming his car into a cyclist in one of the deadliest suspected terrorist attacks against Israelis in recent years. The assailant, who was identified as an Arab Bedouin in his 30s from a town in southern Israel, was known to security services, Israeli police said. A security official said the assailant had been imprisoned in 2015 for supporting Islamic State, and was arrested before trying to join the Islamist militant group in Syria. “To the best of our knowledge, he operated alone,” Israel’s police commissioner Kobi Shabtai said in televised media statement. He described the incident as a terrorist attack but didn’t explain the attacker’s motivation. The attack comes at a time of increasing tension between Israelis and Palestinians in the West Bank and Jerusalem. As the Muslim holy month of Ramadan approaches, Israeli security services are worried about the possibility of a larger escalation. Palestinian assailants also carried out stabbings in Jerusalem on Saturday against a civilian jogger, and again on Sunday against two policemen, though neither incident resulted in fatal injuries. Tension also has risen between Bedouin communities and Israeli authorities in the Negev Desert, where land and building disputes are frequent.”
Reuters: UK Cuts Threat Level For Northern Ireland Attacks
“The United Kingdom lowered its Northern Ireland-related terrorism threat level for the first time in more than a decade on Tuesday, with police saying operations against Irish nationalist militants were making attacks less likely. The threat in the region from domestic groups has been lowered to “substantial” from “severe”, according to an independent assessment by the MI5 domestic spy service, the British government's minister for Northern Ireland Brandon Lewis said in a statement. That means at attack is considered “likely” rather than “highly likely.” It is the first time it has changed since 2010. Several groups of dissident Irish nationalists remain active and carry out occasional attacks, but their capacity is tiny compared with the Irish Republican Army (IRA), which decommissioned its weapons after a 1998 peace deal. That deal ended a three-decade conflict between Irish nationalist militants seeking unification with the Republic of Ireland and the British Army and pro-British loyalists determined to keep the region of Northern Ireland under British rule. Britain's decision to leave the European Union and the subsequent introduction of trade restrictions between Northern Ireland and the rest of the United Kingdom have triggered angry rhetoric from politicians in Northern Ireland but it has not translated into any significant violence.”
United States
“…The group stood on the sidelines on West Broadway and displayed a sign that read “keep Boston Irish.” They also wore masks with the number 131, a calling card for the Nationalist Social Club, which has been identified as a neo-Nazi group by both the Counter Extremism Project and the Anti-Defamation League (ADL). The number is the alphanumeric code for ACA, or Anti Communist Action, and is frequently used by the group. One member of the group carried a black flag with a white plus sign inside a circle. The symbol, which is sometimes called a sun cross or incorrectly called a Celtic cross, is a commonly used white supremacist symbol, according to the Anti-Defamation League. The actual Celtic cross is not a hate symbol, and is a symbol of Christianity used in Ireland, Cal Farley, an investigative researcher with the Anti-Defamation League’s Center on Extremism told The Boston Globe. The version of it used Sunday, in which the cross is squared off instead of tapered ornately within the circle, is oft-used by white supremacist groups. Parade organizers told the Globe that the group was “neither invited, nor welcome at our parade.” “As a Jewish American, it hits especially close to home for me,” Dave Falvey, commander of South Boston Allied Veterans Council, said in an e-mail to the Globe Monday.”
Fox News: House Republicans Push Biden Admin For Information On Migrants On Terrorist Database
“Republicans on the House Oversight and Homeland Security committees are pushing the Biden administration for information on the number of migrants encountered at the southern border who are on the Terrorist Screening Database (TSDB). Reps. James Comer and John Katko, who serve as ranking members on the Oversight and Homeland Security committees respectively, wrote to DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas requesting details on the apprehension of foreign nations with potential terror concerns. “It is no secret that terrorists and other bad actors attempt to exploit weakness in border security and vetting to enter the United States,” the letter, first obtained by Fox News Digital, says. “Reporting indicates that multiple individuals with terrorist ties have been recently apprehended after illegally crossing the border, and that such encounters may be increasing,” they write. “The American people deserve to know whether President Biden’s weak border policies are allowing terrorists to enter our homeland.” The Terrorist Screening Database (TSDB) contains information about the identities of those who are “known or reasonably suspected” of being involved in terrorist activities. Republicans lawmakers have repeatedly called for the number of those encountered at the border to be made public.”
Syria
“In February 2022, IS so-called second caliph Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurashi was killed during an operation by US Special Operation Forces in Syria’s Idlib province. To reinforce unity, online chatter, especially in the Indonesian pro-IS community, stresses the importance of preserving the bai’at to al-Qurashi and continuing with their routine of spreading propagandas or mounting attacks. Earlier this month, IS announced the appointment of Abu Hassan al-Hashimi al-Qurashi as the third caliph. Hundreds of pro-IS supporters in Western Africa Province (ISWAP), Somalia, The Levant, Iraq, Yemen, Libya, Afghanistan (ISKP) and East Asia have pledged their allegiance to the new leader. It is important to note that the starting point of support is usually preceded by a bai’at. Bai’at is an Arabic term that symbolizes a pledge of allegiance and loyalty. The importance of the bai’at for terrorist groups can be discerned from Bin Laden pledging his allegiance to the former Taliban’s leader Mulla Omar in response to United Nations imposition of sanctions on the group in February 2001. It is similar to the notion and practice of pledging allegiance and loyalty to a state. Contrary to conventional wisdom, bai’at predated Islam and was common among Arabs in pre-Islamic Arabia. It usually preluded a pact between tribes to establish security in the absence of state power.”
Iran
Axios: Pompeo: Removing Iran's IRGC From Terror List Would Be “Dangerous Capitulation”
“Removing the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) from a U.S. terror list would be “a dangerous capitulation,” three former senior Trump administration officials, including former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, said in a joint statement exclusively shared with Axios. Why it matters: The status of the IRGC is one of the last remaining sticking points in talks to revive the 2015 nuclear agreement. The Biden administration is considering removing the group from the Foreign Terrorist Organization list in return for a public commitment from Iran to de-escalation in the region, according to U.S. officials and Israeli officials. The big picture: Former President Trump pulled out of the nuclear deal in 2018 and imposed a “maximum pressure” campaign against Iran. A year later, the Trump administration designated the IRGC as a foreign terrorist organization. What they are saying: Removing the IRGC from the terrorism blacklist would be “a denial of the basic reality that the IRGC's core mission is to spread terror,” Pompeo, former national security adviser Robert O’Brien and former director of national intelligence John Ratcliffe said in a joint statement. The three former Trump officials quoted the U.S. Intelligence Community Annual Threat Assessment issued last month, which said that Iran is a direct and indirect threat to U.S. persons and “previously attempted to conduct lethal operations in the United States.”
Afghanistan
Foreign Policy: As The World Watches Ukraine, Afghanistan Goes Full Taliban
“While the world’s attention is focused on Ukraine, Afghanistan has plunged into darkness. The Taliban are tightening their control amid growing reports of detentions, rapes, and summary executions of minorities, rights advocates, women, and people associated with the old government or the new resistance. In the weeks since Russia’s Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine, the Taliban have extended bans on many parts of what was once normal life before they took over the country last summer. Clampdowns on media, entertainment, and traditional holidays have been extended as the Taliban revive old practices, such as kidnapping foreigners for political leverage. Journalists continue to be detained and beaten, and hundreds of media organizations have been closed down, ensuring that Taliban activities—including arbitrary arrests and extrajudicial killings—are not reported. A high-ranking Afghan security source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said China is helping the Taliban build a TV station. Celebrations to mark the Zoroastrian new year on March 20 were canceled. The Afghan flag has been replaced with the Taliban’s white banner. Television networks are not permitted to air foreign programs, and music and dancing are banned.”
Mali
The Defense Post: Four Mali Soldiers Killed In Twin Attacks: Army
“Four Malian troops were killed in separate suspected jihadist attacks Monday, the army said, two in the east and two in the country’s center. In central Boni, the army said it “recorded two dead and seven wounded” following an ambush while 13 attackers were killed and two “terrorists” arrested, the statement said. In Tessit, close to the borders with Burkina Faso and Niger, there were “two dead and 10 wounded” after an attack on an outpost. The military said it “vigorously repelled the attack.” “Nine dead (attackers) were counted on the spot and several wounded terrorists were intercepted and annihilated by an aerial intervention,” it added. “The sweep continues at full speed to clear these sectors.” Two-thirds of Mali’s territory is beyond the control of the state. The spread of jihadists, affiliated with al-Qaeda or the Islamic State group, is beginning to reach further south, into Ivory Coast and Benin Jihadist activities, combined with communal violence, crime, and army abuses, have resulted in thousands of civilian and military deaths and hundreds of thousands of displaced persons. The Malian army has claimed to have killed dozens of jihadists in recent months. A recent statement said that “fear (had) changed sides, the enemy is on the run towards the borders or hiding among the population.”
Africanews: EU Suspends Combat Training For Soldiers In Mali
“The European Union’s top diplomat said Monday that he has ordered the suspension of combat training for soldiers in Mali until he receives guarantees from the government there that the trainees will not be working with Russian mercenaries. Rebel Malian troops have launched two military coups in recent years. The junta has postponed elections meant to usher in civilian rule, and the EU is concerned that Mali's leaders are working with mercenaries from the Wagner Group, which is accused of rights abuses in Africa and the Middle East. The 27-nation bloc has been training the Mali armed forces since 2013. It had planned to continue to do so despite the severe instability and political upheaval that has wracked the country since 2012. “Clearly, our training mission cannot be implicated, in any way, in activities that could call into question the European Union’s reputation,” EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell told reporters after chairing a meeting of the bloc’s foreign ministers. Borrell said he’s still waiting for guarantees from Mali's junta, and until then he has ordered the commander in charge of the EU training “to adapt the activities of the mission to the circumstances they are facing.”
United Kingdom
The Guardian: UK Campaigners Call For Support Scheme For Victims Of Terrorism
“A group of people who survived or were bereaved by terrorist attacks is due to meet the home secretary on Tuesday to call for a state-funded support scheme. Brendan Cox, widower of the murdered MP Jo Cox and co-founder of the Survivors Against Terror (SAT), will tell Priti Patel that granting terror victims minimum guarantees of support should be a key part of the UK’s counter-terrorism strategy. Speaking to the Guardian before the meeting, he said: “Part of our way of saying ‘fuck you’ to terrorists is to show that survivors won’t be left to stew, but will be properly supported by the state.” He added: “Whenever a terror attacks happens, ministers get up and talk about how we will look after the survivors, but in reality that isn’t happening.” SAT will present Patel with a proposed terrorist survivors’ charter that guarantees them immediate financial support, rapid access to psychological support and a compensation fund. The eight-point charter also includes guaranteed legal support and a national memorial day for terrorist survivors. It was drawn up in consultation with SAT’s network of 300 people caught up in terrorist incidents including the Manchester Arena bombing, the Fishmonger’s Hall stabbings, and the London Bridge attack.”
Europe
Irish Examiner: Lisa Smith's Lawyers Claim 'No Evidence' That She Joined Or Funded Isis
“Lawyers for Lisa Smith have said there is no evidence that the former soldier was a member of Isis or that she funded the terrorist organisation and have asked the Special Criminal Court to dismiss the charges against her. Michael O'Higgins SC, for Ms Smith, described the prosecution case as “unique and unprecedented” and said they were trying to suggest that by answering her religious obligation to travel to the Islamic State, she was “somehow subsumed” into a terrorist organisation without her knowledge. Counsel said it is unknown in Irish law for a person to be convicted of an offence without being aware they are committing an offence. Sean Gillane SC, for the prosecution, responded that Ms Smith answered the call from Isis leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and became the “life blood” of Isis as a propaganda tool and as a woman who would help to build the Islamic State. Mr Justice Tony Hunt, presiding at the three-judge, non-jury court, will rule on the defence application to have the charges dismissed on Thursday. Ms Smith (40), from Dundalk, Co Louth, an Islamic convert and former Irish soldier, travelled to Syria after terrorist leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi called on all Muslims to travel to the Islamic State. She has pleaded not guilty to membership of an unlawful terrorist group, Islamic State, between October 28, 2015 and December 1, 2019. She has also pleaded not guilty to financing terrorism by sending €800 in assistance, via a Western Union money transfer, to a named man on May 6, 2015.”
Southeast Asia
Al Jazeera: Sri Lanka Softens ‘Terror’ Law After EU Trade Pressure
“The Parliament of Sri Lanka has amended controversial “anti-terror” legislation after a European Union threat to withdraw lucrative trading status, but opposition lawmakers said the changes would not stop abuses under the law. The EU last year warned that the island nation could again lose its generalised system of preferences (GSP Plus) designation – a favourable trade scheme to encourage developing nations to respect human rights – if Colombo did not improve its rights record. Tuesday’s vote to tweak the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) comes after President Gotabaya Rajapaksa told a delegation from Brussels in October that he had committed to urgent reforms of the law. But Sri Lanka’s main opposition parties withheld support for the amendments, saying they did not go far enough in stopping the arbitrary arrest of dissidents. “What is needed is a complete scrapping of the PTA and not cosmetic changes,” opposition legislator Anura Dissanayake told Parliament. The changes reduce detention without trial limits from 18 to 12 months, but still allow confessions coerced from suspects to be used against them in criminal proceedings. International rights organisations have accused Rajapaksa’s government of persecuting minorities and targeting rights activists.”
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