“Pakistan's government on Wednesday sent a 50-member delegation of tribal
elders to Kabul to negotiate an extension of a truce with the Pakistani Tali





 


 


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Eye on Extremism


June 2, 2022

 

Associated Press: Pakistan Sends 50-Member Team To Kabul To Discuss Cease-Fire
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“Pakistan's government on Wednesday sent a 50-member delegation of tribal
elders to Kabul to negotiate an extension of a truce with the Pakistani Taliban
that expired this week, two security officials said. Talks between the two
sides that led to cease-fires in the past have been mediated by the Taliban in
Afghanistan. The Pakistani Taliban — known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan or TTP
— are a separate group but allied with the Afghan Taliban, who seized power in
their country last August, as the U.S. and NATO troops were in the final stages
of their pullout from Afghanistan. The TTP has been behind numerous attacks in
Pakistan over the past 14 years and has long fought for stricter enforcement of
Islamic laws in the country, the release of their members who are in government
custody and a reduction of Pakistani military presence in the country’s former
tribal regions. The development comes after the latest cease-fire expired on
Tuesday. A similar truce between the TTP and Pakistan, brokered by the Afghan
Taliban last November, lasted a month. However, none of the cease-fires have
paved the way for a more permanent peace agreement. Both sides have remained
silent about earlier talks in Kabul, the sticking points between them and also
about the chances of an extension to the latest cease-fire. Analysts say a more
permanent deal could be possible if either side is willing to show flexibility
on what is or isn't acceptable to them.”

 

CBS News: Buffalo Shooting Suspect Indicted On Charge Of Domestic Terrorism
Motivated By Hate
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“A grand jury on Wednesday charged the White 18-year-old accused of fatally
shooting 10 Black people at a Buffalo supermarket with domestic terrorism
motivated by hate and 10 counts of first-degree murder. Payton Gendron, who has
been in custody since the May 14 shooting, is scheduled to be arraigned
Thursday in Erie County Court. The 25-count indictment also contains charges of
murder and attempted murder as a hate crime and weapons possession. The suspect
had previously been charged with first-degree murder in the shooting, which
also injured three people. He has pleaded not guilty. Prosecutors told a judge
May 20 the grand jury had voted to indict the suspect but was continuing its
investigation. Federal authorities also are investigating the possibility of
hate crime charges against the suspect, who apparently detailed his plans and
his racist motivation in hundreds of pages of writings he posted online shortly
before the shooting. The attack was livestreamed from a helmet-mounted camera.
The suspect drove about three hours from his home in Conklin, New York,
intending to kill as many Black people as possible, investigators have said.
His attorney, Brian Parker, said he had not seen the indictment and could not
comment, adding that prosecution and defense attorneys have been barred by a
judge from discussing the case publicly.”

 

United States

 

The Detroit News: Amid Terror Concerns, ISIS 'Soldier' From Detroit Gets New
Prison Sentence
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“A federal judge Wednesday ordered a paroled Islamic State “soldier” from
Detroit back to prison for 18 months after he was caught amassing weapons,
consuming radical jihadi propaganda and deceiving court officials. The pattern
of conduct by Sebastian Gregerson, aka Abdurrahman Bin Mikaayl, was consistent
with preparations made by terrorists ahead of lone wolf attacks, U.S. District
Judge Terrence Berg said during a hearing in federal court in Detroit. The ISIS
“soldier” Sebastian Gregerson and some of the weapons in his arsenal. The
Gregerson case involves a man portrayed by prosecutors as an unrepentant
radical Islamic State supporter and raised concerns the restaurant cook was
preparing to wage a terrorist attack. The case and fight over his freedom also
illustrate the problems court officials have had monitoring former inmates
during the pandemic. Prosecutors wanted Gregerson, 35, imprisoned for two years
for lying to and deceiving his probation officer, amassing dangerous weapons
and consuming violent extremist propaganda online despite being banned from
unauthorized use of the Internet. The propaganda included sermons by Anwar
al-Awlaki, the late radical American-born cleric who trained underwear bomber
Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, who tried to blow up a Detroit-bound airliner on
Christmas Day 2009.”

 

Iraq

 

The Christian Post: 'Kidnapped In Iraq': Christian Aid Worker Recounts His
66-Day Abduction By Islamic Militants
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“A French former Catholic school teacher has opened up about the torturous
conditions he faced while being held hostage by Islamic militants for two
months while serving a Christian humanitarian effort in Syria, something he
felt God had called him to do. In 2014, Alexandre Goodarzy became alarmed at
reports of Christian oppression in the Middle East and responded by joining the
relief group SOS Christians of the Middle East in Syria. He traveled to the
country in 2015 to assist persecuted Christians in the region ranked as one of
the worst when it comes to tolerance of Christianity. As a history and
geography teacher, Goodarzy told The Christian Post he first heard of SOS
Christians — known in French as SOS Chrétiens d'Orient — from one of his
students. “For a long time, I raged to remain spectators of all this human
madness, to have to watch from afar this region that I loved so much, to end up
remaining powerless,” Goodarzy wrote via email. “[SOS] was for me a call from
the Lord, a call to serve Him by coming to relieve His children, my brothers.”
After hearing reports of the dwindling Christian population in Syria — which
has gone from roughly 2 million to about 700,000 since the start of the civil
war a decade ago — Goodarzy felt compelled to help.”

 

Lebanon

 

Reuters: 'Major Confrontation' With Hezbollah Ahead, Says Lebanon Christian
Politician
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“The Christian Lebanese Forces party will reject anyone aligned with the
armed Shi'ite movement Hezbollah as prime minister and stick to its boycott of
government if a new consensus cabinet is formed, the party's leader said on
Wednesday. Lebanon is in the throes of one of the world's worst economic
meltdowns, according to the World Bank, with the local lira losing 90% of its
value since 2019. Analysts have warned that the divisions in parliament will
likely delay consensus on reform laws needed to drag Lebanon out of crisis.
They could also create a vacuum in top leadership positions. While the LF and
independent newcomers gained more seats in last month's elections, they still
failed to prevent Hezbollah ally Nabih Berri from securing a seventh term as
speaker in parliament's first session on Tuesday. “If it's a government that
includes everyone as usual, of course we won't approve and we won't take part,”
LF party chief Samir Geagea told Reuters. “...They (Hezbollah) shouldn't
celebrate too much,” he said, adding that the splits in parliament would lead
to a “major confrontation” between Iran-backed Hezbollah and its allies on one
side and the Saudi-aligned LF on the other. Tuesday's session was the first
since the new parliament was elected on May 15, in the first vote since
Lebanon's economic collapse and the Beirut port explosion of 2020 that killed
more than 215 people.”

 

Middle East

 

Associated Press: Israeli Troops Kill 2 Palestinians, One An Alleged Attacker
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“Israeli troops shot and killed a Palestinian woman in the occupied West Bank
on Wednesday who they said had approached them while carrying a knife. Another
Palestinian was killed as the army went to demolish the family home of an
attacker. The military released a photo of what it said was the knife she was
carrying. It said the soldiers were patrolling a highway near the Al-Aroub
refugee camp in the southern West Bank. No soldiers were wounded. The
Palestinian Health Ministry identified the woman as Ghafran Warasna and said
she was shot in the chest. The Palestinian Prisoners’ Club said the 31-year-old
had been released from Israeli prison in April after serving three months. An
Israeli security official said Warasna was jailed from January to March after
attempting to stab an Israeli police officer in the West Bank city of Hebron.
The official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized
to talk to the media, said she attempted to stab the soldier on Wednesday at
“point-blank range.” There were no photos or videos immediately available to
confirm the account. The Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate said Warasna had
worked on and off as a journalist for more than a decade. Dream Radio, a local
station in Hebron, said she was on the way to their studio for a broadcast when
she was killed.”

 

The Jerusalem Post: Terrorist Attacks Not Surprising Given Palestinian
Suffering, Says EU Envoy
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“Terrorist attacks against Israelis should not be surprising given the depth
of Palestinian suffering from the 74 years of conflict with Israel, according
to European Union Representative Sven Kühn von Burgsdorff. “When you are a
Palestinian child living next to the separation wall, what do you think this
child will grow up with,” he said Tuesday at an Alliance for Middle East Peace
conference in Jerusalem. “What do you think a child who sees the houses of
their parents, their brothers and sisters demolished because he or she was a
suspected or real terrorist” will feel? he asked. “What kind of hatred will
burn in this child? What do you think will happen?” Burgsdorff cited the spate
of terrorist attacks that have rocked the country since the start of the year.
“We saw, a few months ago and the last few weeks, terrible terror attacks
perpetrated on Israeli territory,” he said. “Twenty Israeli innocents lost
their lives. But don’t be surprised, because there is hatred burning in many of
these young Palestinians.” Burgsdorff gave a brief but impassioned speech about
the overall toll the Israel-Palestinian conflict has taken on the lives of
Palestinians and the particular danger that exists now, given the absence of
any peace process.”

 

Mali

 

France 24: UN Peacekeeper Killed In 'Terrorist' Attack In Northern Mali
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“A UN peacekeeper was killed and three others injured Wednesday in a
“terrorist attack” on their convoy in Kidal, northern Mali, according to the
UN's MINUSMA peacekeeping force. The casualties were members of the mission's
Jordanian contingent, a security official told AFP on condition of anonymity.
The convoy patrolling near the town of Kidal in northern Mali was hit by
small-arms fire and rocket-propelled grenades in an attack that lasted about an
hour, MINUSMA spokesman Olivier Salgado tweeted. “Unfortunately, one of the
blue helmets succumbed to his wounds following the attack,” he posted in
French. No details were given about the suspected attackers. MINUSMA – the
United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali – was
deployed in 2013 to help shore up the fragile Sahel state in the face of
jihadist attacks. With 13,000 members, the mission is one of the UN's biggest
peacekeeping operations, and also one of its most dangerous. It says 172 troops
have died from hostile acts. The latest attack came days after a MINUSMA report
released earlier this week said there was an “exponential rise” in violence
against civilians in Mali. While jihadists remain the biggest source of
violence against civilians, there was an “exponential rise” in fatalities and
other abuses linked to the armed forces, “supported by foreign military
elements”, the UN's MINUSMA peacekeeping force said.”

 

Africa

 

AFP: Burkina Army Kills Jihadist Chief, Say Security Sources
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“Armed forces in Burkina Faso have killed a jihadist commander blamed for
some of the bloodiest attacks in the country’s troubled north, security sources
said Tuesday. Tidiane Djibrilou Dicko “was neutralized with around 10 other
terrorists in an airstrike on May 26,” a source close to military headquarters
told AFP, confirming a report by the national press agency AIB. The attack took
place near Tongomayel in Soum province, the source said. Another security
source said Dicko was killed “after being located in the Djibo area (the
provincial capital) with several dozen men” as he was preparing to attack a
convoy. Burkina Faso, one of the poorest countries of the world, has been
grappling with a jihadist insurgency that swept in from neighboring Mali in
2015. The campaign, led mainly by groups linked to Al-Qaeda and the so-called
Islamic State, has claimed more than 2,000 lives and forced around 1.8 million
people to flee their homes. Dicko was on a most-wanted list of 46 jihadists
that the armed forces circulated in early May. He reputedly had a role in some
of the biggest attacks in the north, notably an assault in Silgadji in January
2020 that left more than 40 dead. He initially was a member of the Islamic
State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS) but in mid-2021 joined the Group to Support
Islam and Muslims (GSIM), an Al-Qaeda-linked alliance and the biggest jihadist
network in the Sahel.”

 

United Kingdom

 

BBC News: Widnes Teenager Detained On Terrorism Charges
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“A teenager with an “extreme right-wing mindset who endorsed warped ideology”
has been detained for possessing and accessing terrorist publications. Mason
Yates, 19, of Widnes, Cheshire, admitted downloading two documents shared among
a chat group on the encrypted Telegram app. Manchester Crown Court heard they
included instructions on how to prepare fireballs and explosive devices. He was
detained for 30 months for the offences between 2020 and January 2021. The
court heard Yates was a college student when he downloaded the documents.
Sentencing, Judge Alan Conrad QC told him: “For some years you have held an
extreme right-wing mindset expressing hatred towards a number of minorities,
religious, ethnic and other groups. “Posts by you have endorsed those who have
committed atrocities in the name of such warped ideology.” He said he was in a
“like minded” group who exchanged “disturbing views” using the encrypted
platform which was “very dangerous”. “It serves to encourage others and only
needs one person to take it up for catastrophe to ensue.” Judge Conrad
concluded Yates retains his extremist mindset noting Yates attended a rally
featuring far-right activist Tommy Robinson in Telford in January wearing a
skull mask, two months after he was charged. Yates also restored one of the
documents to his phone hours after police returned his device and wiped all
data from it, the court heard.”

 

BBC News: Liverpool Man Charged With Terror Offences After Home Searched
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“A 19-year-old man from Liverpool has been charged with terrorism offences.
He was arrested on 2 December 2020 after counter-terrorism police searched his
home in Stockbridge Street, Everton. It followed an investigation by Counter
Terrorism Policing North West, Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said. He has
been charged with possessing a document likely to be useful to a terrorism,
encouraging terrorism and possessing a prohibited image. GMP said the man
appeared at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Tuesday and was released on bail.
He is due to appear at the Old Bailey on 10 June.”

 

France

 

RFI: Long Delay At Paris Terror Trial As Nine Accused Refuse To Take Their
Places In Court
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“Tuesday's hearing at the Special Criminal Court was delayed for several
hours because nine of the eleven prisoners accused of involvement in the
November 2015 Paris terrorist attacks refused to take their places in the glass
security enclosure. They were protesting in support of Muhammad Usman, one of
their number, who says he has been refused medical treatment. Solidarity was
the key word at the Paris attacks trial on Tuesday. While the majority of the
accused decided to boycott the hearing in solidarity with Muhammad Usman who is
unwell, the closing remarks of the lawyers who represent the survivors and the
families of victims had chosen “solidarity” as the central theme of their
presentation. The coincidence gave rise to a long and difficult day. Accused
prisoners are not obliged to appear in court. Once the eight men who decided to
remain in the holding cells in support of Muhammad Usman, already absent on
Monday for unspecified medical reasons, had been formally advised that the
trial was about to resume, proceedings went ahead without them. There were,
thus, only two accused, Mohammed Amri and Farid Kharkhach, in the security box.
The three accused who appear in open court, Abdellah Chouaa, Ali Oulkadi and
Hamza Attou, were also present.”

 

Germany

 

Deutsche Welle: Germany: Police Arrest Suspect Accused Of Spreading Nazi
Propaganda
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“The German federal prosecutor's office has arrested a suspected member of a
right-wing extremist criminal organization for allegedly spreading antisemitic
and Nazi ideology. German national Matthias B. was taken into custody in
Röderaue in the eastern state of Saxony, a statement from the prosecutor's
office said Wednesday. Authorities raided his property as well as the homes of
three other suspects. The four individuals are suspected of belonging to an
extremist criminal group that runs a publishing house known as “Der Schelm,”
the statement said. That name has many potential translations into English,
including the rogue, the knave, or the imp. What are the suspects accused of?
The prosecutor's office said the group committed sedition and used the
publishing house to disseminate Nazi propaganda. The suspects allegedly
distributed extreme far-right books and had storage rooms stocked with several
thousand texts that were printed abroad. The prosecutor did not name any of the
published works. It said only that Matthias B. played a leading role in the
operation, processing online orders and instructing other members of the group
to ship the books. He is expected to appear before a judge on Thursday.
Wednesday's arrest came two months after a nationwide police operation that
involved 800 police officers and searches at the homes of 50 suspected
right-wing extremists. Four key individuals were arrested.”

 

Europe

 

The National: Dutch Woman Jailed On Syria Terrorism Charges
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“The first woman to be taken home from Syria to stand trial in the
Netherlands on Wednesday received a prison sentence of three and a half years
for joining ISIS. The woman, identified only as Ilham B, 28, was repatriated
last year from Al Roj detention camp in north-east Syria after she joined ISIS
and Jabhat Al Nusra militants with her husband in 2013. Rotterdam District
Court said Ilham B was “sentenced to 42 months in jail of which were 12
suspended, for taking part in terrorist organisations and preparing various
crimes”. “The court is satisfied she participated in Syria in the IS and Jabhat
Al Nusra terrorist organisations,” it said. Prosecutors, who demanded an
eight-year sentence, said Ilham B also sent out extremist propaganda on social
media and carried guns during her time in Syria. The judges rejected her
defence that she “lived in a bubble in Syria and did not know what was going
on”. They said there were “ample sources of information she could have
consulted, the length of her stay, her husband's function and the content of
her online messages”. Ilham B, from the western Dutch city of Gouda, left the
Netherlands in September 2013 to travel to Syria through Turkey, court papers
said.”

 

Associated Press: Men Linked To Terror Group Arrested In Norway, Bulgaria
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“Two men have been arrested in Norway and Bulgaria respectively for having
“expressed support” for Al-Qaeda “through “Internet-based activities,” Norway’s
domestic security agency said Wednesday. One suspect was arrested in Oslo and
the other — identified as a Norwegian student — was taken into custody in
Bulgaria as part of a coordinated action in the early hours of Tuesday, said
Thomas Blom, a prosecutor with the agency, known by its acronym PST. Norwegian
media said there is a family connection between the men. The suspect in Norway
was ordered held for two weeks ahead of his trial. He hasn’t been identified.
Blom said the arrest in Bulgaria took place on the strength of a European
arrest warrant issued by the prosecuting authority in Norway where an
investigation had been launched. Bulgarian authorities confirmed the arrest of
a Norwegian citizen who is being investigated in Norway on charges of
membership in a terrorist organization, preparing of a terrorist attack and
inciting terrorism. The prosecutor’s office in Sofia said that the suspect was
arrested in the southern city of Stara Zagora. The Bulgarian agency for
national security said that before and after arriving in Bulgaria, the suspect
had urged in online messages for terrorist acts inside and outside of Europe
and had maintained close online links with other radicalized individuals.”

 

Technology

 

The New York Times: Racist And Violent Ideas Jump From Web’s Fringes To
Mainstream Sites
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“On March 30, the young man accused of the mass shooting at a Tops grocery
store in Buffalo surfed through a smorgasbord of racist and antisemitic
websites online. On BitChute, a video sharing site known for hosting right-wing
extremism, he listened to a lecture on the decline of the American middle class
by a Finnish extremist. On YouTube he found a lurid video of a car driving
through Black neighborhoods in Detroit. Over the course of the week that
followed, his online writing shows, he lingered in furtive chat rooms on Reddit
and 4chan but also read articles on race in HuffPost and Medium. He watched
local television news reports of gruesome crimes. He toggled between
“documentaries” on extremist websites and gun tutorials on YouTube. The young
man, who was indicted by a grand jury last week, has been portrayed by the
authorities and some media outlets as a troubled outcast who acted alone when
he killed 10 Black people in the grocery store and wounded three more. In fact,
he dwelled in numerous online communities where he and others consumed and
shared racist and violent content. As the number of mass shootings escalates,
experts say many of the disturbing ideas that fuel the atrocities are no longer
relegated to a handful of tricky-to-find dark corners of the web.”

 

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