“The shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, on Tuesday jolted a
nation numbed by a drumbeat of mass shootings and evoked painful memories





 


 


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Eye on Extremism


May 25, 2022

 

The New York Times: Texas Shooting Is The Deadliest At An Elementary School
Since Newtown.
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“The shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, on Tuesday jolted a
nation numbed by a drumbeat of mass shootings and evoked painful memories of
another time a gunman crossed the sacred threshold of an elementary school and
opened fire in Newtown, Conn., 10 years ago. The shooting at Robb Elementary
School on Tuesday “horrifically, incomprehensibly” killed 14 students and a
teacher, Gov. Greg Abbott announced. Within hours, the death toll rose to 19
students and two adults. It was the deadliest shooting at an elementary school
since Newtown, according to Everytown for Gun Safety, a gun control advocacy
group. The shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., in 2012
killed 20 first graders and six adults and plunged the nation into a stunned
grief. The image of 6-year-old and 7-year-old children sprayed with bullets and
stripped of life was initially seen as a potential turning point in a national
effort for stricter gun laws, but failed to lead to immediate results in
Congress. In the year after Newtown, newly enacted state laws more often
loosened gun laws than strengthened them. Though shootings at schools quieted
during the beginning of the pandemic, when schools across the country shut
down, they began again in earnest last year as society reopened and more
students returned to learning in person.”

 

Politico: Biden Made Final Decision To Keep Iran’s IRGC On Terrorist List
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“President Joe Biden has finalized his decision to keep Iran’s Islamic
Revolutionary Guard Corps on a terrorist blacklist, according to a senior
Western official, further complicating international efforts to restore the
2015 Iran nuclear deal. Another person familiar with the matter said Biden
conveyed his decision during an April 24 phone call with Israeli Prime Minister
Naftali Bennett, adding that the decision was conveyed as absolutely final and
that the window for Iranian concessions had closed. Bennett later confirmed the
contents of his conversation with Biden last month in a tweet. “I welcome the
decision by the US Administration to keep Iran’s IRGC on the Foreign Terrorist
Organizations list — which is where it belongs,” he added. The United States
placed the IRGC on its “Foreign Terrorist Organizations” list in 2019. The
designation was part of the “maximum pressure” campaign then-President Donald
Trump imposed on Iran after pulling the United States out of the nuclear deal,
which had restricted Iran’s nuclear activity in exchange for sanctions relief.
Israel has long been among the most vocal foreign governments in opposing the
removal of the Iranian military branch from the terrorism list and the
continuation of the nuclear agreement.”

 

United States

 

NBC News: ISIS Operative In U.S. Plotted To Assassinate George W. Bush, FBI
Alleges
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“An Iraqi citizen who entered the U.S. in September 2020 allegedly plotted to
kill George W. Bush, even traveling to Dallas to surveil the former president's
home, according to an FBI search warrant affidavit obtained by NBC News.  The
FBI alleges that Shihab Ahmed Shihab, of Columbus, Ohio, wanted to provide
material support to the Islamic State terrorist group, telling a confidential
FBI source that he wanted to smuggle people into the country “to murder former
President George W. Bush” because he held him responsible for killing numerous
Iraqis in the 2003 invasion of the country. Forbes first reported the alleged
plot. Soumyajit Dutta, a public defender representing Shihab, said in court
Tuesday that the suspect has worked odd jobs and as a food vendor and has no
close relatives in the U.S., according to NBC affiliate WCMH-TV in Columbus.
Shihab has been charged with aiding and abetting the attempted murder of a
former federal official in retaliation for the performance of official duties,
and attempting to bring a foreigner to the U.S. for financial gain. Federal
prosecutors are asking that Shihab be detained without bond, with a hearing set
for Friday. The FBI says Shihab entered the U.S. legally and then applied for
political asylum while also trying to marry a U.S. woman to secure his
immigration status.”

 

Associated Press: Man Linked To White Supremacist Group Sent To Prison
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“A Michigan man described as a leader of a white supremacist group was
sentenced to nearly three years in prison Tuesday for conspiring to train for
civil disorder, the attorney general’s office said. Investigators said Justen
Watkins and two other men entered vacant state properties in Tuscola County in
2020 to assess whether they could be used as “hate camps” for paramilitary
training. Watkins, 25, of Bad Axe was associated with The Base, a group that
has pushed a fringe philosophy advocating mass violence to hasten society’s
collapse. He was sentenced to at least 32 months in prison. A message seeking
comment was sent to Watkins’ attorney. Four members of The Base have been
convicted in Tuscola or Washtenaw counties since charges were filed in 2020.”

 

Bellingcat: Fascist Fashion: How Mainstream Businesses Enable The Sale Of
Far-Right Merchandise
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“…Numerous far-right and neo-Nazi organisations have taken to raising cash
and spreading each other’s brand names by hawking a variety of clothing and
merchandise in recent years. According to Dr. Hans Jakob-Schindler from the
international policy organisation, Counter Extremism Project, far-right
webshops are “one of a range of methods by which the overall movement is
financing itself.” Such operations have two distinct advantages, he added.
“They allow easy cross border sales, as you do not have to have a physical shop
in the jurisdiction of your customer base, and they can easily [be] adapted to
changing circumstances” if, for example, a crackdown occurs in one country or
area. But it’s not just about being a potential source of finance. As others
have noted, including professor Cynthia Miller-Idriss in her book, “Hate in the
Homeland”, these stores can help connect the global far-right discourse,
strengthen ideologies and help the far-right see itself as part of a broader,
global movement. Far-right clothing and items have previously been reported as
being sold in mainstream online stores. But the likes of Amazon, Google and
Wish have taken steps to remove obscene material in recent years. This has led
some far-right groups to seek other means of promoting and selling their
products.”

 

Syria

 

Asharq Al-Awsat: ISIS Plotted To Seize Syria's Hasakeh, Declare Formation Of
New Group 
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“ISIS was plotting to seize Syria's Hasakeh city and launch new operations to
seize the province in wake of this year's prison break by members of the
terrorist organization, revealed a member of a sleeper cell of the group. The
Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) released the confessions of the
detainee, Abdullah Ismail Ahmed. Ahmed, 28, hails from the town of al-Hol in
Hasakeh. He confessed to joining ISIS in 2014. He started off as a fighter,
then rose up the ranks to become a administrative official and was later
appointed a leader of a brigade that was tasked with carrying out terrorist
attacks in the eastern countryside of Deir Ezzor. He led military operations in
Hasakeh and its countryside after ISIS' military defeat and the loss of its
territories in 2019. Ahmed revealed that the jailbreak at Gweiran Prison in
January was supposed to be a top secret mission. He was ordered to carry it out
by “Abdulaziz”, the ISIS “wali”, or ruler, of Hasakeh. The plot was to be
carried out in three phases. The first would see the release of several leading
ISIS inmates, the second would see the capture of the prison with the aid of
the terrorist inmates and the third would see the capture of areas in the
vicinity of the facility and eventually territories leading to the al-Hol camp
and the Iraqi-Syrian border.”

 

Iraq

 

Associated Press: 5 Turkish Soldiers Killed In Clashes Against PKK In Iraq
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“Five Turkish soldiers were killed Tuesday in clashes with Kurdish militants
in northern Iraq, Turkey’s defense ministry said. Two other soldiers were
wounded in the fighting. The clashes took place during Turkey’s latest
cross-border offensive against the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, which
maintains bases in northern Iraq. Turkey launched its latest offensive, named
Operation Claw Lock last month in northern Iraq’s Metina, Zap and
Avashin-Basyan regions. The defense ministry didn’t provide information on
Tuesday’s clashes.The fatalities raises the number of Turkish soldiers killed
in the latest offensive to 17, according to a count by The Associated Press.
Turkey maintains that dozens of PKK militants were killed during the operation
but the deaths can’t be independently verified. Turkey has conducted numerous
cross-border aerial and ground operations against the PKK in northern Iraq over
the past decades. Its military has also conducted several incursions in Syria
to push Syrian Kurdish fighters — who Ankara views as an extension of the PKK —
away from its borders.”

 

Turkey

 

Daily Sabah: Turkey Detains 21 Daesh-Linked Suspects In Nationwide Operations
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“Turkish security forces detained at least 21 Daesh-linked suspects in
counterterrorism operations across the country, including Yozgat, Istanbul and
Kocaeli provinces on Tuesday. In Yozgat-based operations, police detained eight
suspected Daesh terrorists, who allegedly fought for the terrorist group in
conflict zones and illegally entered Turkey. The raids were conducted in
Istanbul, Adana, Kahramanmaraş, Çorum and Şanlıurfa provinces. Five of the
suspects detained in the operations were arrested and sent to prison, while
three of them were released on judicial control procedures. In Istanbul,
counterterrorism squads detained four suspects in operations against Daesh and
al-Qaida terrorist groups. The suspects were allegedly planning to carry out
attacks on behalf of the terrorist groups. Two of the suspects were identified
as foreign nationals, Anadolu Agency (AA) reported. Meanwhile, the Interior
Ministry announced that a Daesh terrorist planning to carry out a suicide
attack was detained in the Küçükçekmece district in Istanbul on Tuesday. The
terrorist, identified as Anas Abbud Alshahi Bnaman, had Daesh-linked materials
at his address in the district, the ministry said. The total number of
terrorists planning to carry out suicide attacks detained by Turkish security
forces has reached 12 in 2022, the ministry added.”

 

Afghanistan

 

Fox News: Afghan Rebel Group Asks For Biden’s Support, Warns Of New Terror
Threats
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“Afghanistan's lead resistance group, the National Resistance Front (NRF),
has one message for the Biden administration: don't ignore terror threats
coming from Afghanistan. The group noted that mistake was made by the Clinton
administration in the lead up to the 9/11 terror attacks. In a statement to Fox
News Digital, the NFR's head of foreign relations, Ali Maisam Nazary, said the
time for action is now. “Our message to the Biden administration is to not make
the same mistake the Clinton administration (made) when they ignored the threat
of terrorism in the mid and late 1990s and led to 9/11. The White House has to
act fast and adopt a proactive approach to counterterrorism by allowing
democratic and anti-terrorist forces like the NRF to liberate Afghanistan,” he
said. The warning comes as the Taliban is facing a new low-intensity campaign
in the north from rebels, who in recent weeks have launched attacks against its
fighters. Afghanistan’s fighting season is known to start in the spring and
generally run through October. In previous years this was when the Taliban and
its allies would wage attacks against U.S. forces and the Afghan National
Security Forces (ANSF). The current fighting is largely happening in the north
of the country and is being led by the NRF in the country’s Panjshir Valley, a
rugged and mountainous bastion of anti-Taliban resistance north of Kabul where
the Taliban consolidated its control last September.”

 

Lebanon

 

Voice Of America: Lebanon's New Parliament Faces Problem Of Hezbollah's Weapons

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“Now that Hezbollah has lost control of Lebanon’s parliament, the reformists,
independents, and anti-Hezbollah forces in Lebanon’s newly elected parliament
may be angling to take on the longstanding issue of the group’s weapons,
analysts say. The Iran-backed Hezbollah political party is also the only
militia to have not disarmed after the end of Lebanon’s 1975-1990 civil war,
and its weapons cache reportedly outguns that of the national army. Samir
Geagea heads the Lebanese Forces and opposes fellow Christian, Michel Aoun,
Lebanon’s president, and his alliance with Hezbollah. Geagea’s party won 19
parliamentary seats in a recent election that saw Hezbollah lose its majority
in Lebanon’s parliament. Geagea recently urged opposition groups, independents,
and small parties to work together “to activate this opposition after it has
become the majority in parliament,” in remarks noted by Lebanon’s National News
Agency. Geagea campaigned on sovereignty issues and seeing Hezbollah disarmed.
Speaking to the French news agency, AFP, Geagea said, “All strategic decision
making should return to the Lebanese state, and security and military matters
should be handled exclusively by the Lebanese army. No one, he said, should be
able to transport missiles from one place to another without the permission and
knowledge of the military” – a reference to Hezbollah.”

 

Middle East

 

The Jerusalem Post: Hamas Terrorist Cell Busted By Shin Bet, Planned To Attack
Israeli MK <[link removed]>

 

“A Hamas terrorist cell in east Jerusalem that planned to attack Religious
Zionist Party MK Itamar Ben-Gvir and other Israeli targets was thwarted by the
Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency). The five cell members were indicted in a
Jerusalem court on Tuesday, more than a month after their arrest. The cell was
led by Rashid Rashek, a prominent Hamas operative in Jerusalem’s Old City, the
Shin Bet said. Along with Hamas operative Mansour Tzafadi, from Abu Tor in
southeastern Jerusalem, he planned a shooting attack or suicide bombing in the
capital, it said. According to the Shin Bet’s investigation, Rashek recruited a
number of operatives in Jerusalem who would riot in the city’s eastern
neighborhoods as well as on the Temple Mount during Ramadan “to destabilize the
Temple Mount and Jerusalem.” The operatives brought fireworks, Hamas flags and
other paraphernalia to use during the riots. The investigation found that
Rashek recruited a number of operatives in Jerusalem who would riot in the
city’s eastern neighborhoods as well as on the Temple Mount during the month of
Ramadan “in order to destabilize the Temple Mount and Jerusalem.”  The
operatives brought fireworks, Hamas flags and other paraphernalia to use during
the riots.”

 

The Times Of Israel: US Slaps Sanctions On Hamas Moneymen Funding $500 Million
Terror Finance Network
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“The US Treasury Department on Tuesday announced that it had sanctioned a
Hamas official along with a network of backers of the terror group. The network
is overseen by Hamas’s Investment Office, which runs the day-to-day management
of more than $500 million in assets, including firms in Sudan, Turkey, Saudi
Arabia, Algeria, and the United Arab Emirates. The targeted individuals being
sanctioned by the Treasury Department under a 2001 executive order that allows
for the financial holdings of designated individuals or groups to be blocked in
order to stem terror funding. “Today’s action targets the individuals and
companies that Hamas uses to conceal and launder funds,” says Assistant
Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorist Financing and Financial Crimes
Elizabeth Rosenberg while in Israel to discuss terrorism financing efforts.
“Hamas has generated vast sums of revenue through its secret investment
portfolio while destabilizing Gaza, which is facing harsh living and economic
conditions. Hamas maintains a violent agenda that harms both Israelis and
Palestinians. The United States is committed to denying Hamas the ability to
generate and move funds and to holding Hamas accountable for its role in
promoting and carrying out violence in the region,” she added in a statement
released by her office.”

 

Somalia

 

Associated Press: For New Somalia Government, Al-Shabab A Threat To Authority
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“A Somali police officer recently received an unexpected summons from the
enemy. An unknown caller ordered him to report to a town outside the capital,
Mogadishu, where the extremist group al-Shabab would settle a dispute between
him and his brother. The caller assured the officer he would be safe even if he
showed up in uniform. Overcoming his fear, Khadar traveled to meet with a panel
of four bearded men in an office made from iron sheets. The al-Shabab men
wanted to know why he was denying his brothers a share of the land they
inherited from their father. “After an hour and a half of debate, the men
directed me to distribute the inheritance among my brothers,” Khadar recalled
in an interview with The Associated Press, withholding his last name for safety
concerns. Khadar complied, an extraordinary gesture to an armed group that
continues to pose a deadly threat to his police colleagues and his government
at large.”

 

Mali

 

France 24: Islamic State Group ‘Trying To Control’ Mali-Niger Border With
Series Of Attacks
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“The Islamic State (IS) group appears to be stepping up attacks close to the
border between Mali and Niger, with sources suggesting that the jihadists are
trying to seize control of the border itself. FRANCE 24’s terrorism expert
Wassim Nasr explains. Amid proliferating jihadist activity, insecurity has
racked the vast, semi-arid Sahel region just south of the Sahara for years.
“The Islamic State [group] is on the offensive since the beginning of the month
of April in many places on the border between Mali and Niger,” Nasr said. “They
are trying to control this border.” IS group has either seized control of or
forced civilians to flee at least five towns on the Malian side of the border,
Nasr said. “The first attack started in Anderamboukane [on the Malian side] in
April, and the latest attack happened in Emis-Emis and Inekar [towns farther
north], where the Islamic State [group] went from Inarabane [near the border]
to attack those regions. [...] We see clearly that they aim to control this
area, which is rich in water but also in hiding places, because they are trying
to anticipate what is going to happen next and they want a sanctuary in this
part of Malian territory. “There has been no reaction from the Malian
government,” Nasr said.”

 

Africa

 

Asharq Al-Awsat: Training Courses On Counter-Terrorism Kick Off In Rabat
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“The Rabat-based UNOCT Program Office for Counter-Terrorism and Training in
Africa launched on Monday a series of specialized training courses on
counter-terrorism, organized in collaboration with the Australian government.
This first session of a 10-week training, supervised by international experts,
aims to bolster the specialized and technical capabilities of participants in
the field of investigations and counter-terrorism. Twenty-four participants
representing law enforcement institutions from six African countries (Benin,
Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Nigeria and Senegal) will take part in the first
“basic level” training module, which will conclude on June 10. The training
modules will be delivered over the course of a year, according to the following
schedule: basic module from May 23 until June 10, the intermediate module from
September 5 until 23, the advanced level from November 21 until December 9, and
the trainer level will take place in February 2023. Speaking via
videoconference, the Deputy Director of the United Nations Office of
Counter-Terrorism, Mauro Miedico, said the Office, which is the first of its
kind in Africa, aims to become a training, qualification and capacity-building
hub in the fight against terrorism by organizing training sessions that are
supervised by regional and international experts.”

 

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