“Two people died and 21 were wounded early on Saturday in what police called an
"act of Islamist terrorism". The shootings were in and near the London











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Eye on Extremism


June 27, 2022



BBC: Oslo Shooting: Norway Attack Being Treated As Islamist Terrorism, Police
Say <[link removed]>



“Two people died and 21 were wounded early on Saturday in what police called
an "act of Islamist terrorism". The shootings were in and near the London Pub,
a popular LGBTQ+ venue, the Herr Nilsen jazz club and another pub. Norway's
prime minister told the BBC the suspect was questioned in May, but was not
deemed a threat at the time. "We now need to see the result of an
investigation," PM Jonas Gahr Stoere told the BBC's Newshour programme late on
Saturday. The shooting started at about 01:15 local time on Saturday (23:15 GMT
Friday), officials said. Eyewitnesses said the suspect took out a gun from his
bag and started firing, forcing terrified people to either throw themselves to
the ground or flee. The attacker was arrested by police officers - who were
helped by bystanders - minutes later. Two weapons were retrieved at the crime
scene by police, one of them a fully automatic gun. The authorities later said
the suspect was a Norwegian national. Of the 21 injured, 10 were in a serious
condition. The terror alert level in Norway has now been raised to its highest
level, though the country's PST intelligence service said it currently had "no
indication" further attacks were likely. Oslo's annual gay Pride parade was due
to be held on Saturday, and was formally cancelled on police advice.”



Reuters: Gas Field In Iraq's Kurdish Region Targeted By Rockets
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“A gas field in northern Iraq's Kurdish region was targeted by rockets on
Saturday for the third time in four days, authorities said. The
Counter-Terrorism Group, a security body in Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region,
said in a statement six rockets in total had hit the Khor Mor gas field, which
is operated by UAE-based Dana Gas (DANA.AD) in Iraq's Sulaymaniyah province.
The statement made no mention of casualties. Earlier, two security sources and
a third source with knowledge of the matter told Reuters no one had been hurt
in the attacks. There was no immediate claim of responsibility. Armed groups
that some Iraqi officials say are backed by Iran have claimed similar attacks
in the past.”



United States



Axios: DHS Memo: Violent Extremism “Likely” In Wake Of Roe V. Wade Decision
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“The Department of Homeland Security's intelligence arm said in a memo on
Friday that domestic violent extremism is “likely” in response to the Supreme
Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. Why it matters: Violence could take
place in multiple locations for weeks as states make changes to their abortion
laws, according to the memo, which was obtained by Axios. Details: Government
officials — including Supreme Court justices — are likely those most at risk,
the memo said. It cites recent attacks by the abortion-rights group known as
Jane's Revenge as well as an alleged plot to kill U.S. Supreme Court Justice
Brett Kavanaugh. The memo also lists reproductive health care facilities and
faith-based organizations as potential targets for acts of violent extremism.
The intelligence agency says it is aware of arson attacks by both anti-abortion
rights and abortion-rights activists targeting pregnancy resource centers and
health care facilities as well as “at least 11 incidents of vandalism
threatening violence targeting religious facilities perceived as being opposed
to abortion.” The document was said to be shared with state and local Homeland
Security personnel, law enforcement, first responders and private sector
partners. The assessment was based on a rise in violence following the earlier
leak of a draft Supreme Court decision.”



Courthouse News Service: US Solider Pleads Guilty To Plotting Rampage With
Neo-Nazi Occultists
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“… The Counter Extremism Project says the Order of Nine Angles is full of
neo-Nazi-Satanists whose nihilistic ideology “supports violent jihadist
terrorism, in line with its accelerationist philosophy to support the
destruction of the current world order.” Facing possible life imprisonment on
eight counts., the 24-year-old Army private from Louisville, Kentucky, was set
to go to a jury trial after the Fourth of July holiday weekend. Melzer had
pleaded not guilty in 2020 but changed his tune Friday afternoon, offering
guilty pleas on three counts in connection with leaking his Army unit’s
overseas location to an occultist fascist group that has deep ties to
neo-Nazism, with the intention to facilitate a “mass-casualty” attack against
his comrades.”



Iran



The Times Of Israel: Official Says Mossad, Local Intel Foiled 3 Iran Plots To
Attack Israelis In Istanbul
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“The Mossad spy agency and its local counterparts managed to thwart three
Iranian attacks targeting Israeli civilians in Istanbul in recent days, a
senior security official briefing Hebrew media said Friday, after Iran
dismissed Jerusalem’s warnings of a Tehran-directed plot as malarkey. The
account came a day after Turkish media reported that 10 people had been
arrested as part of an Iranian plot targeting Israelis in Turkey, including a
former ambassador. Jerusalem earlier this month imposed a travel warning
against its citizens flying to Turkey after receiving significant intelligence
that Iran was seeking to carry out attacks against Israeli tourists in the
country to avenge a series of killings and strikes on Iranian military and
nuclear targets that have been attributed to the Jewish state. The security
official said Mossad intelligence had led Turkish authorities to 10 members of
an Iranian cell who were allegedly planning to kidnap and murder a former
Israeli ambassador to Turkey and his wife. The 10 were arrested Thursday, the
official said. Israel’s Mossad spy agency chartered private aircraft to
immediately bring the pair and others in Istanbul back to the country, Hebrew
reports said. The name of the diplomat has not yet been released.”



Turkey



Balkan Insight: How Turkey’s Extremist ‘Grey Wolves’ Built A Cell In Bosnia
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“… The executive director of Counter Extremism Project, David Ibsen, described
the Grey Wolves as a “international fascist, Turkish nationalist, and
pan-Turkic organisation and movement” Ibsen explained that Turkish nationalists
view the defeat of the Ottoman Empire in the Balkan wars as a great tragedy
that they still cannot accept, which is why they are seeking to consolidate
their influence in the region. “The Turkish state also invests in restoring
mosques and historical buildings from the Ottoman period in the Balkans, which
can be viewed as part of the soft-power expansion of neo-Ottomanism,” he said.
He added that the activities of the Grey Wolves are probably part of this
political agenda too.”



Middle East



Fox News: UN Agency Teachers Urge Terrorism And Murder Of Jews, Report Claims
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“A shocking report by a watchdog organization on Thursday revealed that a UN
agency tasked with, among other things, educating Palestinian students in
places such as Lebanon, the West Bank and Jordan, employs teachers who promote
terrorism and the murder of Jews. UN Watch, a Geneva-based NGO, uncovered in
its 49-page report that United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) computer
teacher Nihaya Awad, who works in the West Bank, supported Hamas rocket attacks
on Israeli civilians after last year’s war. The U.S. and the European Union
classified Hamas—the Sunni jihadi organization that controls the Gaza Strip—as
a terrorist entity. In one internet post, Awad wrote: “Greetings to the people
of Gaza, Blessed victory.” A second post Awad wrote said “In the name of Allah,
one victory after the other, Palestine will be fully liberated.” Awad
“encouraged Palestinian terrorists’ exploitation of child soldiers, in a May
21, 2021 post on Facebook,” UN Watch reported. Awad posted the entries two
months after a UNRWA director, Gwyn Lewis, praised Awad in a certificate off
appreciation for her “fantastic efforts” as a “best performer” in UNRWA
education, according to the report. “We are proud that you are part of the
UNRWA team,” Lewis wrote on March 23, 2021.”



The National Interest: Al Qaeda Leader Reappears To Revive Islamist Jihadi
Ideology
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“Despite the emergence of the November 2020 rumors about Ayman al-Zawahiri’s
death, the elderly Egyptian leader of Al Qaeda (Qa’idat al-Jihad in Arabic) has
recently reappeared in several videos released by Al Qaeda’s official media
arm, As-Sahab Media, after having tactfully remained out of sight for an
extended period of time. Before these videos had emerged, there was predictive
conjecture naming Sayf Al-’Adl, a senior Al Qaeda official believed to have
been imprisoned or under house arrest in Iran, as al-Zawahiri’s “soon-to-be”
successor. The head leader’s reappearance not only provides recent proof of
life but more significantly, also indicates his intent to revive the group’s
Islamist jihadi ideology and promote anti-Western propaganda. His reappearance
also underscores how the Al Qaeda leader capitalizes on the new freedom granted
to him by his long-time allies, the Afghan Taliban, to resurface and provide
critical ideological guidance to jihadis around the world from South Asia to
North Africa. Throughout 2019 and 2020, the top ideologue and operations chief
of Al Qaeda tactfully refrained from appearing to comment on trending global
issues, causing many to conclude he had died and talk about Al Qaeda after
al-Zawahiri. The timing of al-Zawahiri’s repeated reappearance is extremely
significant and alarming; as it follows the botched August 30, 2021, U.S.
withdrawal from Afghanistan which handed the country over to Al Qaeda’s allies:
the Afghan Taliban.”



Mali



Associated Press: Survivors Recount Mali's Deadliest Attack Since Coup
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“Moussa Tolofidie didn’t think twice when nearly 100 jihadis on motorbikes
gathered in his village in central Mali last week. A peace agreement signed
last year between some armed groups and the community in the Bankass area had
largely held, even if the gunmen would sometimes enter the town to preach
Shariah to the villagers. But on this Sunday in June, everything changed — the
jihadis began killing people. “They started with an old man about 100 years old
... then the sounds of the weapons began to intensify around me and then at one
moment I heard a bullet whistling behind my ear. I felt the earth spinning, I
lost consciousness and fell to the ground,” Tolofidie, a 28-year-old farmer
told The Associated Press by phone Friday in Mopti town, where he was receiving
medical care. “When I woke up it was dark, around midnight. There were bodies
of other people on top of me. I smelled blood and smelled burnt things and
heard the sounds of some people still moaning,” he said. At least 132 people
were killed in several villages in the Bankass area of central Mali during two
days of attacks last weekend, according to the government, which blames the
Group to Support Islam and Muslims jihadi rebels linked to al-Qaida. The attack
— the deadliest since mutinous soldiers toppled President Ibrahim Boubacar
Keita nearly two years ago — shows that Islamic extremist violence is spreading
from Mali’s north to more central areas, analysts have said.”



Africanews: Mali: Armed Forces Say More Than 60 Terrorists Killed After
Diallasougou Massacre
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“The fight against terrorist insurgents continues in Mali. The national armed
forces announced Friday that more that 60 alleged terrorists were killed in the
country’s troubled central region. It is there that suspected jihadists
massacred more than 130 civilians on June 18. The authorities also reported
that “two look-outs were neutralized”. In a separate operation in the South of
the country, “eight suspected terrorist were arrested”. The military
announcement came on the same day as the prime suspects of the latest mass
killings repportedly rejected any responsibility in the attack. The Malian
government blamed the Macina Katiba for the massacre of civilians in
Diallassagou and two nearby towns in the central part of the country. The
al-Qaeda affiliated terror group was created in 2015 and has repeatedly
occupied towns in the central region of Mopti despite pressure. Since 2012, the
jihadi threat has spread from Mali to central and neighboring Burkina Faso and
Niger. In the bloodbath, thousands of civilians were forced to flee.”



Africa



Voice Of America: Cameroon Deploys Hundreds Of Troops To Protect 40,000 People
Displaced By Boko Haram
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“Cameron has deployed hundreds of troops along its border with Nigeria after
attacks by Boko Haram militants forced more than 40,000 villagers over the past
two months to flee the area. Cameroon's defense minister is visiting the border
to assess the security situation and assure villagers that it is safe to return
home. Cameroon's military reports that Boko Haram incursions in Mayo Tsanaga,
an administrative unit on its northern border with Nigeria, have increased
drastically since April. Each day, armed members of the Nigerian terror group
cross over to Cameroon, attack villages and steal cattle and food, the military
reports. Cameroon's defense minister, Joseph Beti Assomo, said Thursday
President Paul Biya asked him to lead a delegation of top military officials to
the border. Assomo, whose delegation was in Mokollo district where Mayo Tsanaga
is located, says several hundred troops have been deployed to protect civilians
and their goods. He said that self-protection groups must cooperate with the
army. Assomo says all militias must henceforth be registered and controlled by
local government officials and Cameroon military. He says militia group members
should be people of unquestionable integrity. Assomo says government troops and
local officials note that militias have been infiltrated by Boko Haram
terrorists and adds that the military will energetically fight terrorists and
bring back civilians trapped along the border with Nigeria.”



Reuters: 2 Police Officers Killed In North Benin Attack
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“Two police officers were killed and one wounded in an attack on a police
station in northwest Benin on Sunday, police sources said, the latest in a
string of deadly assaults in an area affected by a spillover of militant
activity in neighboring Burkina Faso and Niger. Suspected jihadists descended
on the Dassari police station at around 2 a.m. and opened fire, killing two
officers before they were pushed back, said one police officer who did not wish
to be named. “Our forces were able to resist. Unfortunately, there were two
dead in our ranks,” the police officer told Reuters. Two “terrorists” were also
killed and several others wounded, he added. A second unnamed police source
confirmed the assault and the death toll. Dassari is a town around 600 km (373
miles) northwest of Benin's largest city Cotonou, near the border with Burkina
Faso. It is around 250 km from a police station in the commune of Karimana,
near the border with Niger, that was raided by armed assailants on April 26,
leaving at least one dead and several wounded. Benin's army has not officially
communicated on Sunday's attack. Its spokesman Didier Ahouanvoedo referred
Reuters to the police. “The attack this early morning once again spread panic
among the local population,” said a local official in Dassari, who did not wish
to be named for safety reasons.”



France



The Brussels Times: Paris Attacks: Defence Presents Closing Arguments In
Abdeslam Trial
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“The defendant is the only surviving member of the Islamic State (IS) linked
terrorist cell that killed 130 people on 13 November 2015. He faces murder
charges as part of an organised terrorist cell but is not accused of killing
anyone himself. At the start of his testimony, Abdeslam pointed out that he
hadn’t personally killed or injured anyone. Abdeslam risks life imprisonment,
the most severe punishment under French law. This penalty is rarely requested
in France and has only been given four times previously, making the possibility
of release minimal. The prosecution justified the sentence “in view of the
immense gravity of the facts,” but also due to the character of the defendant.
Abdeslam “maintains he has not killed anyone” yet he has adopted “a strategy of
constant minimisation of the facts, which indicates he has not gone through the
change that he is claiming,” said the prosecution. Defence lawyers to the
French Belgian-born Abdeslam, Martin Vettes and Olivia Ronen, argue that since
the attack in 2015, and during the long course of the trial, the defendant has
changed.”



Europe



Reuters: Norway Court Names Suspect In Oslo Gay Bar Shooting Ahead Of Pride
Gathering
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“A Norwegian court on Monday named the suspect in a deadly rampage at a gay
bar in Oslo as Zaniar Matapour, a Norwegian citizen of Iranian origin, as the
city prepared a demonstration of solidarity to honour the victims later on
Monday. Matapour, whom police have described as a radicalised Islamist with a
history of mental illness, is accused of killing two people and injuring 21 on
Saturday, the day the city was due to celebrate its annual Pride parade. The
Oslo district court will decide on Monday the initial terms of Matapour's
detention during the investigation into the mass shooting. He will undergo a
psychiatric evaluation as part of that, police said. Hours later, members of
the city's LGBTQ community will gather in front of Oslo Town Hall. Monday also
marks the anniversary of New York's Stonewall riots of June 1969, seen as the
protests that gave birth to the international gay rights movement.”



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