“A church in southwestern Nigeria became the site of a bloody attack on Sunday,
according to local lawmakers. Attackers stormed into the church in the





 


 


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Eye on Extremism


June 6, 2022

 

CNN: Mass Shooting At Nigeria Church Kills Dozens, Says Local Lawmaker
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“A church in southwestern Nigeria became the site of a bloody attack on
Sunday, according to local lawmakers. Attackers stormed into the church in the
city of Owo and began “shooting sporadically,” Adeyemi Olayemi, the legislator
representing the Owo constituency in the Ondo State House of Assembly, told
CNN. At least 28 people were killed, Olayemi said. “The attackers came in
motorcycles and started shooting sporadically,” he said. “They killed many
people inside the church.” Victims are being are taken to Federal Medical
Center in Owo, Olayemi said. State police could not confirm the total number of
casualties at St. Francis Catholic Church, a police spokesperson told CNN, nor
could they identify those behind the attack. Ondo State Governor Arakunrin
Akeredolu said he was “shocked” by the attack and called it a “black Sunday in
Owo.” “I am deeply saddened by the unprovoked attack and killing of innocent
people of Owo, worshiping at the St. Francis Catholic Church, today,” he said
on Twitter, adding that “the vile and satanic attack is a calculated assault on
the peace-loving people of Owo Kingdom who have enjoyed relative peace over the
years.” The governor vowed to “commit every available resource to hunt down
these assailants and make them pay.”

 

Associated Press: Online Pro-Gun Extremism: ‘Cool For Active Shooter Stuff’
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“The young man in the jeans and sunglasses proudly shows off his gun in the
YouTube video, then instructs his 1 million subscribers how to fit extra ammo
on his belt, and offers a chilling observation. “Pretty cool for active shooter
stuff, if you need extra mags.” It’s a typical video, one of thousands teaching
military-style training and tactics to civilian gun owners, offering
instructions on silencers and grenade launchers, on shooting from vehicles or
into buildings. Other websites sell ghost gun kits, gas masks and body armor.
“You shouldn’t be scared of the NRA. You should be scared of us,” one online
ghost gun dealer Tweeted last week. As Americans reel from repeated mass
shootings, law enforcement officials and experts on extremism are taking
increasing notice of the sprawling online space devoted to guns and gun rights:
gun forums, tactical training videos, websites that sell unregistered gun kits
and social media platforms where far-right gun owners swap practical tips with
talk of dark plots to take their weapons. It’s an ecosystem rich with potential
recruits for extremist groups exploiting the often blurry line separating
traditional support for a Constitutional right from militant anti-government
movements that champion racism and violence.”

 

United States

 

Reuters: New York Man Sentenced To 15 Years In Prison For Support To Islamic
State
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“A Uzbekistan citizen who is a resident of New York City who was convicted of
conspiring to and attempting to provide material support to Islamic State was
sentenced to 15 years in prison on Friday, the U.S. Justice Department said.
Dilkhayot Kasimov, 34, was convicted of both counts following a trial in 2019.
He was charged in 2015. “Kasimov is an ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria)
supporter who collected and gave money to another individual to fund his travel
to join the terrorist group. With this sentence, Kasimov is being held
accountable for his crimes,” Matthew Olsen, assistant attorney general for
national security, said in a statement. The United States brands Islamic State
a “foreign terrorist organization.” “Kasimov was part of a group of individuals
who sought to travel to Syria to join ISIS or to fund others who sought to
become foreign fighters for ISIS,” Olsen said. A representative of Kasimov
could not immediately be reached for comment on Friday. In 2015, Kasimov's
co-conspirators, Abdurasul Juraboev and Akhror Saidakhmetov, planned to travel
to Syria to fight on behalf of Islamic State, the Justice Department said,
adding that Kasimov provided money to help fund Saidakhmetov’s travel and
expenses.”

 

Syria

 

The Wall Street Journal: How The War Against ISIS Was Won
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“In mid-April 2017, I was a fly on the wall for a top-level meeting that
helped cement the defeat of Islamic State. Nearly three years earlier, Islamic
State militants had taken the city of Mosul, rocking the Middle East and
spurring the U.S. to send its military forces back to Iraq. The American
mission this time wasn’t to do the fighting on the ground but to back up Iraqi
forces with U.S. firepower and advise them as they battled their way forward.
The name of the military campaign was “Operation Inherent Resolve,” and in the
spring of 2017, that resolve was being put to the test. The campaign against
Islamic State militants defeated an enemy, thrust local partners to the lead
and held U.S. casualties to a minimum. Die-hards from Islamic State, also known
as ISIS, were determined to make a last stand in Mosul. Hundreds of thousands
of civilians were trapped in the city, which is bisected by the Tigris River,
and Iraqi advances had been stalled on its western side. I had traveled with
Lt. Gen. Stephen Townsend to an Iraqi base south of the city when word came
that Iraq’s then-Prime Minister, Haider al-Abadi, was gathering his commanders
there for an impromptu council of war. Wearing the black fatigues of Iraq’s
Counterterrorism Service, Mr. Abadi sought to rally his generals in an enormous
tent whose walls were lined with photos of Iraqi Federal Police officers who
had died in the war.”

 

Iraq

 

National Herald: Iraqi Forces Kill 13 IS Militants In 3 Provinces
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“Iraqi security forces have killed 13 Islamic State (IS) militants during a
series of operations in the provinces of Kirkuk, Nineveh and Diyala, the
military has said. Iraqi Counter-Terrorism Service (CTS), backed by
helicopters, managed to kill 13 IS militants during an attack on their hideout
during operations conducted over the past week, Yahia Rasoul, spokesman of the
commander-in-chief of the Iraqi forces, Xinhua news agency reported, citing a
statement. The statement did not reveal the location of the hideout and when
the militants were killed. The CTS forces also found a number of caches
containing weapons, explosives, and communication devices during the operations
in the Hamrin mountain range in northern Diyala and a village in Kirkuk, Rasoul
added. Over the past few months, Iraqi security forces have conducted
operations against the extremist militants to crack down on their intensified
activities. The security situation in Iraq has improved after Iraqi forces
defeated the IS militant group in 2017. However, the IS remnants have since
melted into urban centers, deserts, and rugged areas, carrying out frequent
guerilla attacks against the security forces and civilians.”

 

Pakistan

 

Associated Press: Pakistan Army Says 7 Militants Killed Near Afghan Border
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“Pakistan’s military says security forces killed seven militants in two
different operations near the Afghan border on Sunday. Five militants were
killed in raid on a hideout in the Jani Khel area of Bannu district — the
gateway to North Waziristan, they said in a statement. Two other militants were
killed in a shootout in a tribal district of North Waziristan. Security forces
seized arms and ammunition from both areas, and said the militants had been
involved in attacks on security forces in recent months. North Waziristan and
its surroundings were a militant sanctuary for years until a massive military
operation to clear the area in 2014. Militants still show their presence by
sporadically attacking forces there.”

 

Somalia

 

Voice Of America: Somalia Hails US Airstrike Against Al-Shabab
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“The United States has targeted al-Qaida-linked fighters in Somalia,
launching its first airstrike since announcing U.S. special operations forces
would again be based in the Horn of Africa nation. Somalia's Ministry of
Information announced the airstrike Friday on Twitter, saying it had targeted
al-Shabab militants near Beer Xaani, west of the southern city of Kismayo,
after they had attacked Somali forces. Initial estimates indicated that five
al-Shabab fighters were killed and that there were no civilian casualties, the
Somali announcement said. So far, neither the Pentagon nor U.S. Africa Command
has shared any details about the incident. Friday's airstrike against al-Shabab
is the first since the U.S. announced in mid-May that it would reestablish what
it described as a “small, persistent U.S. military presence” in Somalia,
following a December 2020 decision by the previous U.S. administration to pull
out troops that had been stationed in the country. Senior U.S. administration
officials last month called the decision by former President Donald Trump to
end the persistent U.S. presence in Somalia a mistake, arguing it gave
al-Shabab, already seen as the largest, wealthiest and most dangerous al-Qaida
affiliate, a chance to regenerate.”

 

Africa

 

AFP: Al-Qaida Affiliate Claims May Attack In Togo
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“A Mali-based coalition of al-Qaida-aligned militants has claimed
responsibility for an attack in Togo last month, the SITE Intelligence
monitoring group said Friday. The Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM) has
been expanding geographically, threatening northern parts of coastal Benin,
Ivory Coast, Ghana and Togo. Togo's government had confirmed a “terrorist
attack” on May 11 in the northern town of Kpekankandi, near the border with
Burkina Faso, where the insurgents are also present. Officials had said that
eight Togolese soldiers were killed and 13 others were wounded. JNIM, according
to SITE Intelligence, which monitors jihadist activities worldwide, said it had
killed eight soldiers, stolen some weapons and damaged two cars. A senior
security source in Togo told AFP that the soldiers were attacked by a group of
60 gunmen who arrive on motorbikes. “They exchanged fire for more than two
hours … and then a reinforcement unit was hit by an improvised explosive
device,” he added. Togolese soldiers foiled an attack last November in the
northern village of Sanloaga, making the May attack the first to cause
casualties. The statement from JNIM also claimed attacks in Mali and in Burkina
Faso.”

 

United Kingdom

 

Morning Star: 2017 London Terror Attacks Could Have Resulted From Intelligence
Failures, Counter-Terrorism Expert Says
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“The 2017 London terror attacks could have resulted from a failure of the
intelligence community, according to a counter-terrorism expert. Eight people
were killed and 48 more injured on June 3 2017, when terrorists in a hired van
ploughed into pedestrians then ran amok with 12-inch knives through London
Bridge and Borough Market. Today, London Mayor Sadiq Khan tweeted: “London
remembers those whose lives were taken during the 2017 London Bridge terror
attack. “We also pay tribute to the bravery of our emergency services, who ran
towards danger whilst helping others to safety.” But Sir Ivor Roberts, from the
Counter Extremism Project and former head of counter-terrorism in the Foreign
and Commonwealth Office, said the attack could be attributed “in significant
part to the failure of the intelligence community to monitor appropriately
subjects of interest.” He said: “The primary perpetrator of the attack, Khuram
Shazad Butt, was known to both the police and MI5 from as early as 2015. “At
that time he was investigated, but the investigation was quickly ‘moved into
the lower echelons’ and his file was classed as ‘low priority.’ “The
government’s subsequent official enquiry into the numerous terrorist attacks
which occurred in the UK in 2017 specifically identified this as an area of
counter terror policy in need of significant reform.”

 

Lancashire Telegraph: Policy Change Urged To Stop Those With Radical Views
Carrying Out Terror Attacks
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“A counter terror expert says lessons have not been learned from terror
attacks where perpetrators with radical views have ‘slipped through the
cracks’. Sir Ivor Roberts, from the Counter Extremism Project, and former head
of counter-terrorism in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office was speaking on the
fifth anniversary of the London Bridge and Borough Market terror attack this
weekend. He referred to the case of Malik Faisal Akram, originally from
Blackburn, who carried out an attack on a Texas synagogue in January. Akram,
44, was shot dead when the FBI entered the place of worship in Colleyville
following a 10-hour stand-off. He held four people hostage during the incident,
but they were later released unharmed. Sir Ivor said: “Despite Akram’s radical
views and support of the 9/11 attacks, he had been unsuccessfully referred to
Prevent on two separate occasions in 2016 and 2019, MI5 ultimately concluded
that he was not a terrorist threat. “This is a disappointing development from
the security services, who do such incredible work on a day-to-day basis to
keep us safe. I encourage MI5 to develop new policies and thorough checks and
balances to ensure dangerous individuals don’t slip through the cracks again.”

 

France

 

Washington Examiner: French Police Arrest Suspected Neo-Nazis Involved In 'Jew
Hunt' And Find Machine Gun Stash
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“French police uncovered a stockpile of deadly weapons and machine guns
believed to belong to a neo-Nazi group that took part in a “Jew hunt” in the
northeastern part of the country, officials announced on Friday. Four men,
between ages 45 and 53, were apprehended on Tuesday after intelligence services
found they were looking for Jewish people to attack during a soccer game in
Strasbourg, AFP reported. Police discovered an “alarming” amount of firepower
when they made the arrests, said Prosecutor Edwige Roux-Morizot during a press
conference. The suspects allegedly possessed equipment to produce bullets and
$26,800 worth of euros in cash. They have been charged with arms trafficking
and could face up to 10 years behind bars. Some 41 guns and ingredients for
explosive devices were discovered near their homes, Roux-Morizot revealed on
Friday. Of the discovered guns, 18 were legal and 23 were illegal. Roughly 167
magazines and 30 kilograms of gun powder were also found. Officials believe the
four men have ties to a neo-Nazi group in the eastern Alsace region of France.
Material laced with antisemitism and Holocaust-denialism were discovered at the
scene. Computer equipment seized from the suspects is being reviewed by French
officials.”

 

RFI: Final Words At Paris Attacks Trial And Complaints Over Compensation
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“Lawyers for the victims of the November 2015 terrorist attacks are
continuing their concluding remarks. The Special Criminal Court is a theatre of
contradiction, with the black robes offering everything from flamboyant
rhetoric to dignified common sense. The 14 accused who are physically present
show rare signs of attention. Salah Abdeslam woke up at the mention of his
name. A lawyer called him a liar, saying that Abdeslam, the sole survivor of
the terrorist squads whose actions cost 132 people their lives, had not
renounced on his murderous mission as a suicide bomber out of human sympathy,
as he has claimed, but simply because his explosive jacket did not explode. “He
told his friends that it had failed to go off,” the court was reminded. “How
could he have known if he hadn't tried?” Several lawyers on Thursday rejected
Abdeslam's earlier claim that he appeared before the court as “a warrior of
Allah”. “I have seen no warriors at this trial,” said one. “I have, however,
seen heroic men and women of peace who have told us of their struggles to stay
upright, to keep going.” Another black robe explained that he had himself
fought in the Croatian National Guard. “There's a code of honour among
fighters. You don't touch civilians, especially civilians who have done
absolutely nothing against you.”

 

Europe

 

The Times: Lisa Smith Made Anti-Extremism Videos In Islamic State Camp In Syria

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“Time was running out for Lisa Smith when she was found living among the
hundreds of Islamic State brides being held at the Ein Issa camp by the Syrian
Democratic Forces. It was August 2019 and the sprawling camp was full of
danger. Living among the ragged detainees were jihadists who threatened to kill
anyone who spoke out against Isis. Smith had lost everything by the time she
was interviewed by Anne Speckhard and a team from the International Centre for
the Study of Violent Extremism (ICSVE), a research body at Georgetown
University in Washington. Speckhard recalls meeting a frightened woman who was
wary of strangers and just wanted to return home. “Lisa was terrified. She
didn’t care if she went to prison if she…”

 

Technology

 

PBS: Examining The Warning Signs Of Online Extremism Targeting Young People
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“After the racist rampage that killed 10 Black people in Buffalo last month,
the shooter admitted he had been radicalized online. As young people spend more
time in virtual networks, parents and guardians are looking for ways to keep
them safe. Cynthia Miller-Idriss, director of research at American University's
Polarization and Extremism Research Innovation Lab, joins Ali Rogin to discuss.”

 

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