Eye on Extremism
May 23, 2022
Associated Press: US Removes 5 Groups From Terror Blacklist, Retains Al-Qaida
“The United States has removed five extremist groups, all believed to be defunct, from its list of foreign terrorist organizations. In notices published in the Federal Register on Friday, the State Department said it had removed the groups after a mandatory five-year review of their designations. Al-Qaida, which was also up for review, was kept on the list, which was created under the federal Immigration and Nationality Act, or INA. “Our review of these five FTO designations determined that, as defined by the INA the five organizations are no longer engaged in terrorism or terrorist activity and do not retain the capability and intent to do so,” the State Department said in a statement. “Therefore, as required by the INA, these FTO designations are being revoked.” Several of the removed groups once posed significant threats, killing hundreds if not thousands of people across Asia, Europe and the Middle East. The decision was politically sensitive for the Biden administration and the countries in which the organizations operated. It may draw criticism from victims and their families. The organizations removed are the Basque separatist group ETA , the Japanese cult Aum Shinrikyo, the radical Jewish group Kahane Kach and two Islamic groups that have been active in Israel, the Palestinian territories and Egypt.”
Reuters: Chad Urges Mali Junta To Reconsider Withdrawal From Anti-Militant Force
“Chad's interim president Mahamat Idriss Deby has urged Mali's military junta to reconsider its decision to withdraw from a five-nation military force fighting Islamist militants in the Sahel region. Malian authorities announced the decision on Sunday, blaming the lack of progress in the fight against militants linked to al Qaeda and Islamic State and the failure to hold recent meetings in Mali. read more G5 Sahel has troops from Burkina Faso, Mauritania, Chad and Niger. Mali's junta, which came to power in an August 2020 coup, has grown increasingly estranged from its West African neighbours after delaying elections set for February that were meant to restore democratic rule. Chad's Deby, the acting president of the G5 Sahel, said in a statement released on his behalf on Friday that the alliance was “an irreplaceable instrument of cooperation”. “The acting president of the G5 Sahel exhorts the government of the Republic of Mali to reconsider its position in order to allow efforts underway ... (to) provide a solution to its concerns through an imminent conference of heads of state and government,” the statement said. Deby was installed in power by the military last year after the battlefield death of his father, President Idriss Deby.”
United States
Reuters: U.S. Says Cuba Not Cooperating Fully Against Terrorism, Inflaming Tensions
“The Biden administration on Friday once again placed Cuba on a short list of countries the United States alleges are “not cooperating fully” in its fight against terrorism, further inflaming tensions with its long-time rival. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, in the final assessment published Friday in the U.S. Federal Register, named Cuba among five countries - along with Iran, North Korea, Venezuela and Syria - that the United States says fall short of its expectations. Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez anticipated the move on Thursday, calling a draft notice from May 11 signed by Blinken “one more lie” coming from Washington. “The United States again maintains the slander of saying that Cuba doesn’t cooperate sufficiently in the fight against terrorism,” Rodriguez said on Twitter on Thursday, calling it a “pretext to continue an unceasing economic war universally repudiated.” The U.S. assessment is almost identical to the one issued by the Biden administration a year ago, which stuck with the Trump administration’s determination. A U.S. State Department spokesman told Reuters that its Friday decision was a result of a review of “counterterrorism objectives with that country and a realistic assessment of its capabilities.”
NPR: The Buffalo Shooting Suspect's Online Footprint Prompts Questions About Red Flags
“Extremism researchers are combing through the digital footprint believed to be left behind by the man accused of shooting 13 people, killing 10 of them, in a racially motivated attack at a Buffalo supermarket. Among the materials is a nearly 600 page chat log written by an individual who identifies himself as Payton Gendron, the same name as the killing suspect, documenting roughly six months of personal reflections and activities leading up to the attack. The record, created on the social chat platform Discord, paints a picture of a committed racist obsessed with the mechanics of planning and executing a deadly mass shooting. Among the questions that experts are bringing to the document are: what red flags might have been missed by those around this individual? Where might there have been an intervention? And, what insight might it offer on what differentiates someone who carries out a violent attack from others who may share similar extremist views? But they also caution that the record should be read with a degree of skepticism. “Although he is seemingly candidly laying out his thoughts and observations on the world [and] his planning for the attack, he's also writing for an audience,” said Emerson Brooking, resident senior fellow at the Digital Forensic Research Lab of the Atlantic Council.”
NBC News: Buffalo Suspect Exposes Dangers Of Accelerationist, Neo-Fascist Lone-Actor Violence
“The recent act of targeted mass violence against Black Americans at a Tops Friendly Market in Buffalo, New York, is yet another reminder that accelerationist, neo-fascist lone-actor violence remains one of the dangerous domestic terrorism threats in the United States today. Best understood as a set of tactics and strategies explicitly designed to put pressure on and exacerbate latent social and societal divisions in order to collapse the system, experts believe neo-fascist accelerationism has been the inspiration for some of the deadliest acts of mass violence in the United States in recent years — from Black churchgoers in Charleston, Jewish congregants at synagogues in Pittsburgh and Poway, and Latino shoppers at a Walmart in El Paso. Transnational accelerationist networks, designed not around formal material support but a shared community, create an in-group and interconnected online ecosystem for many of these terrorists. Transnational accelerationist networks, designed not around formal material support but a shared community, create an in-group and interconnected online ecosystem for many of these terrorists. This creates a far more amorphous and decentralized threat picture.”
Turkey
Reuters: Turkey's Erdogan Discusses Terrorism, NATO With Finnish Counterpart
“Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan told Finnish President Sauli Niinisto in a phone call on Saturday that overlooking terrorist organisations that pose a threat to a NATO member is not in the spirit of the alliance. Erdogan also said Ankara expected respect and support for its fight against terrorist organisations that threaten its national security and people, according to a statement by the Turkish presidency.”
Middle East
Reuters: Israeli Forces Kill Palestinian Teen Militant During Clash, Group Says
“Israeli forces shot and killed a 17-year-old Palestinian militant in clashes in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin on Saturday, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad group said. The Israeli military said Palestinian suspects fired on its soldiers and threw fire-bombs at them. “The soldiers responded with live fire toward the suspects. Hits were identified,” the military said. It was not immediately clear whether the teen killed was one of those suspects. The Palestinian Health Ministry confirmed his death. The Palestinian Islamic Jihad group described the teen as one of its members and said he had taken part in the fighting against the Israeli soldiers. Photos circulated on social media showed him holding a rifle. Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh condemned the killing. “We warn against the consequences of the occupation's continued crimes against our people. We urge the international community to condemn them and hold the perpetrators accountable,” Shtayyeh said in a statement. Israel has stepped up its incursions in the Jenin area since late March, following a string of deadly attacks in its cities, some of which were carried out by Palestinians from Jenin, which is considered a militant stronghold.”
The Jerusalem Post: Police Arrest 5 Jerusalem Residents On Suspicion Of Belonging To ISIS
“Five east Jerusalem men suspected of belonging to the Islamic State (ISIS) were arrested over the weekend, a police spokesperson said on Sunday. The suspects were arrested and taken for questioning before being brought to a court hearing over the weekend. At the request of the police, their detention was extended until Monday. “We take any act of incitement, threats, support for terrorist organizations or identification with them seriously. We will continue to take action against these criminals and offenders in order to bring them to justice,” The Israeli Police stated. Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack in Hadera last month, in which two Border Police officers, Yezen Falah and Shirel Abukarat, were killed. The attackers arrived at the scene with 1,100 bullets, at least three handguns and six knives. They were killed by security forces. During the height of the Islamic State’s power, close to 100 Israelis joined the terror group and several Israeli Arabs were arrested by the Shin Bet and Israel Police for seeking to join the group. Several who joined the group were killed and a small number are believed to have returned to Israel, either of their own accord or after being caught by Turkish authorities while trying to cross the border and were deported back to Israel.”
The Jerusalem Post: Palestinian Terrorist Groups Warn Against Upcoming Jerusalem Flag March
“A year after the outbreak of Operation Guardian of the Walls, Hamas head Ismail Haniyeh and Palestinian Islamic Jihad leader Jihad Nahalka warned against the upcoming Flag March set to take place in Jerusalem’s Old City next week. Speaking during a conference organized by the terrorist group on the first anniversary of the 11-day conflict dubbed “the Sword of Jerusalem” and “Operation Guardian of the Walls” by the IDF, Haniyeh said, “We will confront [Israel] with all of our capabilities,” adding that the Palestinian people “would not accept the passage of such Talmudic Jewish nonsense.” “Our decision is clear and unhesitating,” he said. “We will resist with all our capabilities and we will not allow the violation of Al-Aqsa Mosque or thuggery in the streets of Jerusalem.” Insisting that the Gaza-based extremist group follows through with it’s warnings, Haniyeh said, “We don’t just talk. Our actions speak louder than our words, and our struggle against the ‘Zionist occupier’ has entered a new phase.” The right-wing march received police permission last week to pass through the Muslim Quarter of Jerusalem’s Old City. That was despite warnings that the event might lead to increased tensions a year after the same event led to a barrage of Hamas rockets fired on the capital, setting off Operation Guardian of the Walls.”
Nigeria
Voice Of America: Nigerian Authorities Say Terror Groups Are Shifting To New Bases
“Authorities in Nigeria’s Kaduna state are raising concerns jihadist insurgents have infiltrated their region and are calling on the federal government to intervene. State governor Nasir El-Rufai made the announcement during a quarterly security assessment. During the meeting, El-Rufai said Ansaru and Boko Haram fighters have been detected in two local government areas and said the terror groups have been making attempts to recruit residents of those areas. Authorities also said more than 360 people, including 45 females, were killed in the state between January and March by armed groups. They said more than 1,300 people were kidnapped. “The first great concern is the emergency of Boko Haram enclave as well as the activities of Ansaru, particularly in Birnin Gwari and Chikun local governments,” El-Rufai said. “The terrorists were making comments like the forests in Kaduna are even better that the ones on Sambisa and so they should all relocate here.” The Sambisa forest in Borno state has been a hideout for Boko Haram fighters for years. Kaduna state near Nigeria's capital has seen a wave of attacks in recent months including a March 28 train attack, during which nine people were killed and more than 60 others kidnapped.”
Christian Today: Islamic State Executes 20 Christians As Warning To Believers
“The so-called Islamic State has released a video showing the execution of 20 men said to be Christians. The video was released to the terrorist group's Amaq news channel. The BBC Monitoring service said the executioners were from the Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP) and that the captives came from Borno state in north-eastern Nigeria. IS called the executions a warning to “Christians around the world” and said that “jihadists will be at war with them ... till the end of times”. The video shows the men divided into three groups and shot dead by four masked militants. After the second group is executed, one militant says, “We shall not rest until we take revenge for our brothers against the Christians all over the world.” According to the BBC, IS said that the killings had been carried out as “revenge” for the death of an IS spokesman and its former leader in Syria in February. Jo Newhouse, spokesperson for Open Doors in Sub-Saharan Africa, said the videos were intended to sow fear among Christians. She praised the heroism of the men who were slain. “There are no words to describe the horror and heartbreak that the families of these men must be going through,” she said.”
Somalia
All Africa: Africa: AU Troops Carry Out An Anti-Al-Shabaab Operation In Somalia
“African Union transition mission [ATMIS] forces conduct major operations in the Middle Shabelle region against Al-Shabaab. The operation took place near the Burundian military base in Mahaday district in Somalia. Local sources told Shabelle Media Network that the forces arrested about 10 people in rural areas on suspicion of having links with Al-Shabaab. Al-Shabaab carried out a series of attacks on the outskirts of Mahaday in recent days, causing a number of casualties, most recently an attack on an ATMIS base in El Baraf. The situation is calm this morning, and there has been no word from ATMIS or Somali military officials operating in the Middle Shabelle region.”
Africa
Al Jazeera: Burkina Faso: Eleven Soldiers Dead In Attack On Army Base
“Eleven soldiers have been killed and nearly two dozen injured in an attack on a military base in eastern Burkina Faso, authorities said. Injured soldiers were taken to hospital and aerial support killed 15 attackers trying to flee after Thursday’s attack in Madjoari in Kompienga province, the army said in a statement on Friday. For six years, the West African country has been ravaged by violence from armed groups linked to al-Qaeda and ISIL (ISIS), causing thousands of deaths and displacement of nearly two million people. It has become the latest epicentre of a shifting conflict in the Sahel. In January, mutinous soldiers removed the democratically elected president promising to stem the violence, but since then attacks have increased. Within a 72-hour period last week, nearly 60 people, including civilians and security forces, were killed in violence targeting villages in four regions across the country, according to an internal security report for aid workers seen by The Associated Press news agency. “This attack in Madjoari is yet another indication of militants’ capability to target security forces’ bases and unfortunately showing the severity of [the] security situation in northern and eastern regions,” said Rida Lyammouri, a senior fellow at the Policy Center for the New South, a Moroccan-based organisation focused on economics and policy.”
United Kingdom
The Guardian: Anti-Terrorism Programme Must Keep Focus On Far Right, Say Experts
“Government advisers on extremism have openly questioned the direction of the Home Office’s counter-terrorism programme after it emerged last week that a review was advocating a crackdown on Islamist extremism rather than the threat of the far right. They questioned why the review of the Prevent strategy carried out by William Shawcross at the behest of the home secretary, Priti Patel, should refocus on Islamism at a time when Prevent referrals over the ideology have fallen to 22%, while a quarter now relate to far-right extremism. The most recent Prevent data reveals that “mixed, unstable or unclear” ideologies now account for more than half of all referrals to the anti-radicalisation strategy and that a quarter relate to far-right extremism. Lewys Brace, who advises the government on extremism, said the Shawcross recommendations did not “reflect what’s going on at all, in any way. Mixed ideologies is where it’s all heading.” Brace, who is currently involved in a Home Office study of “incel” ideology to help counter-extremism efforts, said Shawcross’s mindset appeared to be “circa 2004-2007” – a reference to a period of high-profile Islamist attacks, including the London bombings that killed 52 in 2005.”
BBC News: Darlington Boy, 14, Sentenced For Terrorism Offences
“A boy who talked about carrying out a right-wing terrorism attack on an orphanage has been sentenced. The boy, from Darlington, was 13 when he said he wanted to carry out a school shooting and owned manuals detailing how to make explosives and weapons, Newton Aycliffe Youth Court heard. He is one of the youngest convicted terrorists in the UK. The boy was ordered to complete a “high-intensity” referral order for 12 months after admitting three charges. The boy, who is now aged 14 and cannot legally be identified, admitted having three documents found on his bedroom computer which detailed how to make various “viable” explosives, prosecutors said. He also downloaded instructions on how to make a “DIY self-loading pistol”, the court heard. Prosecutor Jane Stansfield said police were alerted after an Instagram user, later identified to be the boy, sent messages saying he was “planning on blowing up an orphanage” and was seeking firearms like those used in the Columbine shooting which the teenager had a keen interest in. She said the boy made repeated searches about the 1999 US school shooting and used images of the two Columbine killers as his profile image on a communications app.”
Evening Standard: Man Who Had ‘Extremely Harmful’ ISIS Terrorist Manuals Jailed
“A man who possessed “extremely harmful” ISIS manuals has been jailed, the Met Counter Terrorism Command has said. Nuh Raheel, 20, was jailed for three-and-a-half years in a youth offenders’ institution, with a one-year extended licence period. During a pre-planned search of his Birmingham home in October 2020, officers discovered Daesh - Islamic State - publications on a phone which was hidden under a mattress. Raheel previously pleaded guilty to five charges five charges of collecting information of a kind likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism and was sentenced at Leicester Crown Court on May 20. Commander Richard Smith, who leads the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command, said: “Raheel sought out and saved manuals that encouraged terrorist acts, and fuelled his extremist mindset. “Police, with partners, work around the clock to identify and act against people like Raheel who access this kind of material, as well as playing a role in getting it removed from the internet. “This type of propaganda is produced to promote terrorist aims, and is extremely harmful. If you come across extremist content online, we would urge you to report it to police.”
Canada
Calgary Herald: Once A Member Of ISIS, Calgary Woman Is Now A Target, Court Told
“ISIS has put a bounty on the life of a Calgary woman the Crown fears could be re-radicalized after joining the terrorism organization eight years ago, her lawyer said Friday. Defence counsel Yoav Niv, in successfully seeking a publication ban on the woman’s identity, said she suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder and fears for her safety. Niv told provincial court Judge Lloyd Robertson his client has become an ISIS target after co-operating with western intelligence groups. “(She) has co-operated and provided information to both the RCMP and foreign intelligence/law enforcement agencies relative to a listed terrorist group: ISIS, or Islamic State,” Niv said. “This is a dangerous international terrorist organization. There has been a bounty placed on (her) life by this terrorist organization, due to her status as an apostate and her co-operation with law enforcement.” The lawyer noted there are individuals in Calgary who are alleged to be members of ISIS, Including Hussein Borhot, who pleaded guilty last month to joining the terrorist group as a fighter after considering becoming a suicide bomber. Borhot, who is currently free on bail, is to be sentenced next week. “Furthermore, (she) intends to testify as a state witness at trials in foreign jurisdictions, including the United States. (She) is also a victim of torture, human trafficking and sexual assault.”
Europe
Associated Press: European Nations, Streaming Service Delete Extremist Audio
“The European Union’s law enforcement agency said Friday that authorities in six countries have worked with music streaming service SoundCloud to detect and delete hundreds of files containing extremist propaganda. Europol said that the plan was initiated by Germany’s Federal Criminal Police Office and the EU Internet Referral Unit, and that authorities in Denmark, Hungary, Portugal, Spain and the U.K. were also involved. Law enforcement authorities “detected and assisted the company to scour illegally uploaded jihadist, right wing terrorist and violent extremist propaganda,” Europol said in a statement. Around 1,100 profiles and audio files deemed to be illegal were flagged to SoundCloud, which “deleted the reported files that were considered a breach of its terms and conditions.” The content that was flagged included jihadist chants in several languages and audio promoting right-wing extremist groups. Some of the material had already gathered several thousand hits, Europol said. It added that the action was part of an ongoing partnership between SoundCloud, Europol and law enforcement agencies. German authorities said the files were flagged between May 5 and 13.”
Technology
The Guardian: ‘A Catastrophic Failure’: Computer Scientist Hany Farid On Why Violent Videos Circulate On The Internet
“In the aftermath of yet another racially motivated shooting that was live-streamed on social media, tech companies are facing fresh questions about their ability to effectively moderate their platforms. Payton Gendron, the 18-year-old gunman who killed 10 people in a largely Black neighborhood in Buffalo, New York, on Saturday, broadcasted his violent rampage on the video-game streaming service Twitch. Twitch says it took down the video stream in mere minutes, but it was still enough time for people to create edited copies of the video and share it on other platforms including Streamable, Facebook and Twitter. So how do tech companies work to flag and take down videos of violence that have been altered and spread on other platforms in different forms – forms that may be unrecognizable from the original video in the eyes of automated systems? On its face, the problem appears complicated. But according to Hany Farid, a professor of computer science at UC Berkeley, there is a tech solution to this uniquely tech problem. Tech companies just aren’t financially motivated to invest resources into developing it. Farid’s work includes research into robust hashing, a tool that creates a fingerprint for videos that allows platforms to find them and their copies as soon as they are uploaded.”
The Counter Extremism Project depends on the generosity of its supporters. If you value what we do, please consider making a donation.
