Eye on Extremism
May 26, 2022
Associated Press: Blast In Kabul Mosque, IS Bombs In North Afghanistan Kill 14
“A series of explosions shook Afghanistan on Wednesday, the Taliban said, including a blast inside a mosque in the capital, Kabul, that killed at least five worshippers and three bombings of minivans in the country’s north that killed nine passengers. The Islamic State group’s local affiliate claimed responsibility for the minivan bombings. The Kabul Emergency Hospital said it received 22 victims of the mosque bombing, including five dead. There were no further details on the blast that struck the Hazrat Zakaria Mosque in the city’s central Police District 4, according to Khalid Zadran, a Taliban police spokesman in Kabul. “The blast took place while people were inside the mosque for the evening prayers,” Zadran said, adding that they were waiting for an update. The minivans were targeted in the northern city of Mazar-e-Sharif after explosive devices were placed inside the vehicles, according to Mohammad Asif Waziri, a Taliban-appointed spokesman in Balkh province. He said the explosions killed nine and wounded 15. The IS claim of responsibility was posted on the Sunni militant group’s Aamaq news agency. The statement said IS targeted three buses with improvised explosive devices. There was no claim of responsibility for the Kabul mosque explosion, but it also bore the hallmarks of the regional affiliate of the Islamic State group, known as Islamic State in Khorasan Province, or IS-K.”
Associated Press: Indian Court Sentences Kashmiri Leader To Life In Prison
“An Indian court sentenced a Kashmiri separatist leader to life in prison on Wednesday after declaring him guilty of terrorism and sedition, triggering a clash between protesters and police and a partial shutdown of businesses in the Indian-controlled portion of Kashmir. Mohammed Yasin Malik, 56, led the banned Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front, one of the first armed rebel groups in the Indian-held area, but later shifted to peaceful means in seeking the end of Indian rule. Muslim-majority Kashmir has been divided between India and Pakistan since British colonialists granted it independence in 1947. Both countries claim the region in its entirety and have fought two wars over its control. Malik was arrested in 2019 and was convicted last week on charges of committing terrorist acts, illegally raising funds, belonging to a terrorist organization, and criminal conspiracy and sedition. Before Wednesday’s sentencing, dozens of Kashmiris gathered at Malik’s home in Srinagar, the largest city in Indian-controlled Kashmir. Some marched through the streets, chanting “We want freedom” and “Go back India.” Government forces fired tear gas at the marchers, who threw stones. No injuries were immediately reported.”
United States
The Washington Post: How ‘Great Replacement’ Theory Led To The Buffalo Mass Shooting
“Last weekend, a man identified by law enforcement authorities as an avowed white supremacist killed 10 people at a Buffalo grocery store. Police say the suspect intentionally targeted Black Americans on the basis of their race. As with other recent mass shooters in El Paso and Christchurch, New Zealand, authorities say the suspect explained his actions in a screed that draws heavily from the “great replacement” narrative — a racist theory that maintains native-born Whites are being intentionally displaced as ethnic majorities in their nations.
This narrative has spread well beyond the forums of the far right. It is now promoted by such prominent figures as Fox’s Tucker Carlson and Republican officials, who argue that Democrats want to increase immigration to secure an electoral majority. And France’s recent presidential election included several right-leaning candidates who openly referred to the theory to exploit xenophobic fears. Since the Buffalo attack, commentators and politicians from the right have attempted to divert attention from the theory and instead focus on the shooter’s shaky mental health. But ignoring this narrative would obscure how it feeds and amplifies networks of white extremist violence. Replacement theory significantly threatens civil society by provoking White race panic over ongoing population change.”
Reuters: Minutes Before School Attack, Texas Gunman Sent Online Warning
“The Texas gunman who murdered 19 children and two teachers posted an online message warning that he was going to shoot up an elementary school minutes before he attacked, Governor Greg Abbott said on Wednesday, as harrowing new details of the massacre emerged. The gunman, whose rampage ended when police killed him, also had sent a message on Tuesday saying he was going to shoot his grandmother, followed by another internet post confirming he had done so, Abbott said at a news conference. The suspect's grandmother, shot in the face before her grandson left the home they shared and attacked the school, survived and called police. The gunman, identified as Salvador Ramos, 18, otherwise gave no warning he was about to commit what now ranks as the deadliest U.S. school shooting in nearly a decade, authorities said. Fleeing the shooting of his grandmother, he crashed his car near Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, about 80 miles (130 km) west of San Antonio, then managed to evade a school police officer who approached him before running inside. No gunfire was exchanged at that point, according to police. But authorities offered few details of the encounter, likely to become a focus of investigations, except to say that the suspect dropped a bag full of ammunition and ran toward the school when he saw the officer.”
New York Post: Brooklyn Man Convicted Of Backing ISIS By Recruiting Members, Smuggling Guns
“A Brooklyn man who became a high-ranking member of ISIS was convicted of supporting the terrorist organization by recruiting members, pushing propaganda and smuggling weapons into Syria, federal prosecutors announced Wednesday. Mirsad Kandic, 40, was found guilty of conspiracy and providing material support to ISIS Tuesday after a three-week trial in Brooklyn federal court. He faces up to life in prison at his sentencing on Nov. 9. Kandic is responsible for recruiting thousands of Westerners to fight in Syria and the Middle East, including Australian teenager and suicide bomber Jake Bilardi, who killed himself, more than 30 Iraqi soldiers and a policeman in Ramadi, Iraq, on March 11, 2015, officials allege. Kandic left Brooklyn in 2013, sneaking into Syria and joining ISIS. His travel to the Middle East had been thwarted twice previously as early as 2012, by authorities who had placed him on a no-fly list, according to the Brooklyn US Attorney’s Office. Prosecutors said Kandic first began fighting on the ground using AK-47s and PK machine guns in the ISIS stronghold on the outskirts of Aleppo. He then moved to Turkey, where he began helping to smuggle foreign fighters and weapons into Syria and heading ISIS media there — including running more than 120 Twitter accounts with the purpose of attracting new recruits and spreading gruesome propaganda, the feds said.”
Afghanistan
Reuters: Islamic State Claims Responsibility For Attack In Afghan City Of Mazar-I-Sharif
“Islamic State claimed responsibility for an attack in the northern Afghan city of Mazar-i-Sharif, the militant group said on its Telegram channel on Wednesday. Three blasts tore through passenger vehicles in Mazar-i-Sharif on Wednesday, killing at least nine, a provincial commander spokesman said, as authorities confirmed another blast in Kabul, the Afghan capital.”
India
Reuters: India's Kashmir Sees Upsurge In Violence, Tense After Separatist Convicted
“Indian security forces have killed six militants in Kashmir in the past 24 hours while militants shot dead a female TV performer and a police officer, officials said on Thursday, following the conviction of the region's best-known separatist. A New Delhi court on Wednesday ordered life in jail for Kashmiri separatist leader Yasin Malik for funding "terrorist" activities and for many other crimes. The sentencing prompted warnings from politicians that it would promote alienation and separatism in India's only Muslim-majority region. Shops and businesses in Kashmir remained closed for a second day of protesting against the verdict, while police detained 10 people for throwing stones and for sloganeering outside Malik's residence. India and Pakistan each rule part of Kashmir and claim it in full. Mainly Hindu India has been fighting an armed insurgency in its portion of the region since the late 1980s. "Three militants each of Jaish-e-Mohammad and Lashkar-e-Taiba were killed in two separate gun battles in Kashmir since yesterday," Kashmir Police Chief Vijay Kumar told Reuters, referring to two militant organisations. "We have also lost a cop in one of the operations."
Nigeria
AFP: Niger Says Army Killed 40 Boko Haram Fighters On Lake Chad Islands
“The Niger government said Wednesday that the army had killed around 40 Boko Haram jihadis in overnight fighting on islets in Lake Chad. “Some 100 Boko Haram fighters arrived in four large wooden canoes and an armed speedboat” and attempted to attack troops on the islets of the lake, which borders Niger, Nigeria, Cameroon and Chad, the defense ministry said. The soldiers “forced the assailants to flee with several dead in their ranks,” the ministry said. A subsequent operation in the area “led to the neutralization of some 40 fighters” and the recovery of several weapons along with ammunition and explosives. On the army side, seven soldiers were injured when their vehicle was blown up by an improvised explosive device, the ministry said. The Lake Chad basin, and its countless small islands, has become one of the main havens for jihadis from Nigeria's Boko Haram and its dissident branch, the Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP). Niger, Nigeria, Cameroon and Chad revived the Multinational Joint Task Force (MJTF) in 2015 to fight the extremists. The forces launched a new offensive in March that aimed to “completely destroy Boko Haram and other terrorist groups which plague the basin,” a senior MJTF official, who wished to remain anonymous, told AFP earlier this month. The joint force killed some 20 jihadis in an operation in early May.”
Africanews: Jihadists Kill At Least 30 In Revenge Attacks In Northeast Nigeria
“Jihadists have killed around 30 men in a revenge attack after their commanders died in military airstrikes in Nigeria's northeast Borno state. Fighters from the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) seized the men in Mudu village in the Dikwa area on Saturday. “Most of the 30 men were slaughtered by ISWAP terrorists while a few who tried to flee were shot,” militia leader Babakura Kolo said. “They were metal scrap scavengers who were in the area in search of burnt vehicles which dot villages in northern Borno following attacks by the terrorists,” he said. He said the men had trekked from the town of Rann, 80 kilometres away, where they lived in camps for people displaced by the jihadist violence. Another militia leader Umar Ari said ISWAP had accused the slain men of passing information on their positions to the military in the area. “The 30 men were unlucky to have been in the area at that time when the terrorists were grieving the death of their two commanders killed in a military operation”. In recent weeks, the Nigerian military has carried out successful ground and air assaults against ISWAP and rival Boko Haram fighters, killing several high-profile Jihadist commanders. ISWAP split from mainstream Boko Haram in 2016 and rose to become a dominant group in the region.”
France
AFP: France Charges 18-Yr-Old Over ISIS Attack Plot: Judicial Source
“French authorities have charged an 18-year-old man on suspicion of planning an imminent terror attack with a knife in the name of ISIS extremists, a judicial source said on Wednesday. Initial investigations indicated that he planned to carry out a terror attack “in the name of ISIS, to which he had pledged allegiance,” said the source, who asked not to be named. The source added that the man had been detained in the Drome region of southeast France and charged in Paris. For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app. The man, from a Muslim family, had adopted extremist views and was considered a threat, sparking France’s anti-terror prosecutors office (PNAT) to open an investigation on May 19, a source close to the case said. Police arrested him on Friday and a video of him swearing allegiance to ISIS was found in his possession. The source did not say whom he was planning to target in the attack or in which location. France saw a wave of extremist attacks from 2015 that left hundreds dead and pushed the country to its highest level of security alert. There has been no repeat of a mass atrocity in the last years, but there have been several deadly attacks carried out by lone individuals.”
RFI: Paris Terror Trial Enters Final Phase With Pleas On Behalf Of The Survivors And The Bereaved
“The Paris attacks trial, where 20 men are being judged on charges of complicity in the November 2015 terrorist killings, continues with concluding pleas from the lawyers representing the injured and those who lost family members. There are nearly 2,500 civil witnesses registered with the special criminal court. They include survivors of the attacks, the families who lost loved ones, security and medical professionals traumatised by the events they witnessed on the night of 13 November 2015. This week and until 7 June, those lawyers are being called to the bar to resume their version of this epic trial which began on 8 September last year. In order to avoid pointless repetition, more than one hundred of those representing the civil witnesses have agreed to forego their right to speak. And those who do address the court have promised to limit themselves to 25 minutes. The point of this unusual professional solidarity, according to one of the lawyers behind the collective pleading proposition, is to ensure that no witness feels lost in the crowd, “that each can be treated as an individual”. To that end, this week's hearings have opened with a rapid succession of presentations, each one evoking the memory of particular victims in a few phrases. The lawyers quote their bereaved clients, read letters or press reports, recite poems.”
Europe
The National: Swedish Would-Be ISIS Fighters Jailed After Recruitment Sting
“Two Swedish brothers have been sentenced to jail for eight months after their efforts to join ISIS unravelled when their recruiter was revealed as an undercover intelligence officer. The men, who have not been identified, were arrested in February at Gothenburg-Landvetter Airport as they tried to leave Sweden to join the combat ranks of the terrorist group. Prosecutors produced 200 pages of messages passed to them by an unidentified foreign intelligence agency, which revealed how the pair were seeking a fighting role with ISIS. They told their ‘recruiter’ that they were prepared to travel to Syria, Iraq or Libya, where they held joint citizenship, prosecutors said. They were found to be carrying equipment including a rifle sling, knee and elbow pads and an MP3 player that included lectures about martyrdom, senior public prosecutor Henrik Olin said. The men, who were born in Sweden but spent some of their childhood in Libya, were believed to have previously been in the region in 2013 fighting for an extremist group. Mr Olin said the messages showed that the pair were willing to travel wherever they were needed and wanted more than merely administrative roles with ISIS. “It was clear they really wanted to fight for ISIS,” he said. “During months of conversations, they were open to joining ISIS. “The message was clear that that would be where it was doing the most good from the ISIS perspective.”
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