“An Egyptian court sentenced 10 people to death and more than 50 others to life
in prison on Tuesday after they were convicted of supporting or carryi











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Eye on Extremism


June 29, 2022



Reuters: Egyptian Court Sentences 10 To Death On Terrorism Charges
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“An Egyptian court sentenced 10 people to death and more than 50 others to
life in prison on Tuesday after they were convicted of supporting or carrying
out attacks against security forces and sabotage of state infrastructure. The
prosecution linked the attacks, which took place in Cairo between 2013 and
2015, to the now outlawed Muslim Brotherhood. Rights group Amnesty
International said the mass trial, which included more than 200 defendants, was
grossly unfair and called for the sentences to be quashed. Egypt mounted one of
the biggest crackdowns in its modern history on the Brotherhood following the
army's 2013 overthrow of Islamist President Mohamed Mursi. The court had
referred the defendants to Egypt's top religious authority, the Grand Mufti, to
seek approval for a death sentence in January.”



Associated Press: American Who Joined Islamic State Gets Prison Term Reduced
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“The first American to be convicted in a U.S. jury trial of joining the
Islamic State had his prison term reduced Tuesday from 20 years to 14 years
after an appeals court ordered a new sentencing hearing. Mohamad Khweis was
convicted back in 2017 of providing material support to terrorists, as well as
a weapons charge. He traveled to Islamic State-controlled territory in Iraq and
Syria in December 2015, even obtaining an official IS membership card. But he
left after a few months and surrendered in northern Iraq to Kurdish forces. In
2020, the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals tossed out the weapons charge —
many defendants had similar charges tossed out in accordance with a Supreme
Court ruling — and ordered a new sentencing hearing. Prosecutors urged Judge
Liam O'Grady at Tuesday's hearing to again sentence Khweis to 20 years. They
cited the need for deterrence in a high-profile terrorism case and reminded
O'Grady of the significance of Khweis' conduct. While there is no evidence that
he fought for the Islamic State, there was evidence at his trial that he
volunteered to be a suicide bomber and that he cared for injured fighters at
safe houses. He also admitted at trial that he burned his laptop and multiple
phones, and deleted contact info from another, before he fled the Islamic
State.”



Syria



Al Monitor: Conflicting Reports On Islamic State Leader Arrested In US
Operation In North Syria
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“The US military revealed the identity of the Islamic State (IS) leader who
was arrested in an airdrop operation in northern Syria June 16. US officials
identified the suspect as Hani Ahmed al-Kurdi, also known as the “Wali of
Raqqa,” according to The Washington Post. Army Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla, head
of US Central Command, was quoted by the Post as saying that the operation
“demonstrates our commitment to security of the region and to the enduring
defeat of ISIS [IS].” In a separate statement released June 16, the US-led
international coalition forces said that Kurdi, also known as Salim, was
responsible for coordinating “terrorist” activities throughout the region. The
coalition added that Kurdi trained “terrorists” on manufacturing bombs,
supported the construction of bomb-manufacture facilities, and facilitated
attacks on US forces and allied forces, in reference to the Kurdish-led Syrian
Democratic Forces (SDF). Kurdi’s identity was revealed hours after
international coalition forces carried out an airdrop in the countryside of
Jarablus, north of Aleppo, during which he was arrested. In its June 16
statement, coalition forces vowed to continue to hunt down IS remnants wherever
they may be hiding, with the help of the SDF, Iraqi security forces and
Iraqi-Kurdistan peshmerga forces.”



AFP: More Than 100 Slayings In Syria Camp Since January 2021, UN Says
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“More than 100 people, including many women, have been murdered in a Syrian
camp in just 18 months, the United Nations said Tuesday, demanding countries
repatriate their citizens. The Al-Hol camp is increasingly unsafe, and the
child detainees are being condemned to a life with no future, said Imran Riza,
U.N. resident coordinator for Syria. Al-Hol, in the Kurdish-controlled
northeast, was meant to be a temporary detention facility. However, it still
holds about 56,000 people, mostly Syrians and Iraqis, some of whom maintain
links with the Islamic State jihadist group, which seized swaths of Iraq and
Syria in 2014. The rest are citizens of other countries, including children and
other relatives of IS fighters. Some 94% of the detainees are women and
children, Riza, who has visited Al-Hol a handful of times, told reporters in
Geneva. “It's a very harsh place, and it's become an increasingly unsafe
place,” he said. There have been “around 106 murders since January last year in
the camp,” and “many” of the victims were women, he added. “There's a great
deal of gender-based violence. ... There's a lot of no-go areas.”



Pakistan



Associated Press: Gunmen Kill 2 Policemen, Polio Worker In Northwest Pakistan
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“Gunmen on motorcycles opened fire on Pakistani police escorting a team of
polio workers Tuesday during a door-to-door inoculation campaign in a former
Pakistani Taliban stronghold, killing two policemen and a polio worker, police
said. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack in North
Waziristan, a district in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The attack came a
day after the government launched another nationwide anti-polio campaign amid a
spike in attacks. A passerby was also wounded, said Aziz Ullah, a local police
official. The attackers fled the scene. Since April, Pakistan has registered 11
new polio cases — all in North Waziristan, where parents often refuse to
inoculate children. The outbreak has been a blow to the Islamic nation’s
efforts to eradicate the disease, which can cause severe paralysis in children.
Pakistan’s anti-polio campaigns are regularly marked by violence. Islamic
militants often target polio teams and police assigned to protect them, falsely
claiming the vaccination campaigns are a Western conspiracy to sterilize
children. Pakistan and Afghanistan are the only countries in the world where
polio remains endemic. In 2021, Pakistan reported only one case, raising hopes
it was close to eradicating polio.”



Nigeria



Voice Of America: Nigerian Churches On Alert After Deadly Church Shooting
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“Nigerian churches are introducing armed security and entry searches after a
deadly June 5 attack on a Catholic church blamed on the Islamic State in West
Africa Province (ISWAP). Security experts fear the attack in Nigeria's
southwest Ondo state means the threat of terrorism is spreading and could soon
reach the capital. Abuja’s police said they have often deployed officers to
churches, mosques and public places. “These days people just become crazy and
going to churches and start shooting,” said Bishop John Praise Daniel, the
presiding pastor of Dominion Chapel. “So I think the church must get to that
level of arming themselves against any attack that would come, that is
self-defense and there's no law against self-defense.” On June 5th, heavily
armed men invaded St. Francis Catholic Church in the southwest city of Owo and
killed 40 worshipers using guns and explosives. Eighty-seven people survived
but suffered serious injuries. Some of them described the attack as
“unimaginable horror.” “For such incident to have occurred, lasted for more
than 20 minutes and there was no police presence,” said Stephen-Chuks Okonye,
who survived a bullet to his chest. “It means there's no security in this
country. Security is one area the government has to look into.”



Africa



Africanews: Burkina Faso: Eight Civilians Killed In Attack During Baptism
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“The United States has announced that it will launch a new campaign to combat
terrorism, according to a report released on Tuesday by the U.S. Department of
Homeland Security. “A terrorist attack left eight civilians dead in Sandiaga, a
town in the eastern province of Koulpelogo, a security source said. This was
confirmed by a local resident who said that “the victims were attending a
baptism ceremony when armed individuals burst into the scene at around 9am
(local and GMT), shooting several people. Two other deadly incidents also took
place on Sunday, in Boulonga and Alga, two localities in the northern province
of Bam, according to another security source. Carts “carrying women jumped on
explosive devices in these localities”, leaving “six dead and two injured”, she
said. The source said a military operation against armed groups in the
Diarkadougou and Lolonioro forests in the northeastern province of Bougouriba
had resulted in “the dismantling of three terrorist bases and the
neutralisation of around 20 jihadists”. On 20 June, the Burkinabe army decided
to create two “zones of military interest” where any “human presence” is
forbidden, one in the Soum province bordering Mali (north) and the other which
includes protected reserves between Pama and the W park (east) reputed to be
jihadist hideouts.”



All Africa: Mozambique: Commonwealth Supports Fight Against Terrorism
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“Mozambican Prime Minister Adriano Maleiane declared in the Rwandan capital,
Kigali, on Saturday night, that the member countries of the Commonwealth are
agreed on the need to make available support for Mozambique's fight against
terrorism in good time, in order to maximise its efficiency. He was speaking to
reporters after the close of the Commonwealth summit of heads of state and
government. Maleiane said the Commonwealth stressed the importance of fighting
terrorism globally. “We have an integrated approach on how to attack
terrorism”, he claimed. Some members, he added, thought it possible to look in
particular at the case of the northern Mozambican province of Cabo Delgado
which has been suffering attacks from islamist terrorists since 2017 - but it
was urgent to support all Commonwealth states who face the same problem.
Maleiane said the two day summit boosted the idea that peace and stability are
indispensable conditions for guaranteeing sustainable development and economic
growth. He cited the Russian war on Ukraine which has contributed to drastic
increases in the price of fuel, grain and fertilizer around the globe. “This
entire question of logistics and foreign trade was analysed, and it was agreed
that all the necessary conditions must be created for economic recovery and
resilience, or for mitigating this type of global phenomenon”, he said.”



United Kingdom



BBC News: Haworth: Terror Offence Charges For Teenage Boy
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“A 15-year-old boy from West Yorkshire has been charged with right-wing
terror offences, a specialist police unit has said. The teenager, from Haworth,
was arrested on 21 June during a pre-planned investigation into suspected
far-right terrorism. A property was searched during the “intelligence-led”
operation, Counter Terrorism Policing North East said. The teenager is due to
appear at London's Old Bailey in July. The boy, who cannot be named due to
legal reasons, was charged with the following offences: One offence under
Section 5 of the Terrorism Act 2006 - engaging in the preparation of an act of
terrorism. Four offences under Section 2 of the Terrorism Act 2006 -
dissemination of terrorist publications One offence under the Protection from
Harassment Act. A warrant of further detention was granted by a court on
Wednesday, police added.”



BBC News: Walsall Man Arrested On Suspicion Of Terrorism Offences
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“A 19-year-old man has been arrested in connection with right wing terrorism
offences. Counter terrorism detectives arrested the man, from Walsall, on
Monday, in Winsford, Cheshire. He was brought to the West Midlands to be
interviewed, West Midlands Police said. The teenager was held on suspicion of
possessing a document likely to be of use to a person committing or preparing
an act of terrorism. The arrest was intelligence-led and there was no immediate
threat to public safety, the force added.”



Arab News: Teenager Arrested On Terrorism Charges While Trying To Board Flight
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“A 16-year-old boy has been arrested in the UK on suspicion of terrorism
offenses while attempting to board a flight from London Stansted Airport. He is
accused of “collecting information likely to be useful to a person committing
or preparing an act of terrorism” and “disseminating terrorist publications,”
according to a report by the Independent newspaper on Tuesday. Police said the
alleged offenses are “linked to extreme Islamist ideology.” The teenager was
arrested on Monday by the Metropolitan Police’s Counter Terrorism Command under
Schedule 7 of the UK’s Terrorism Act 2000, which gives officers the power to
stop, question, search and detain suspects to determine any links with
terrorism. A search was carried out at an address in east London in connection
with the arrest, the report added. Between April 2021 and March 2022, 15
percent of all terrorism-related arrests in the UK (excluding Northern Ireland)
involved people under the age of 18. On May 17 this year, a 13-year-old boy was
arrested in west London on terror-related charges. He is one of the youngest
people to be charged with terrorism in the UK. Last week, a 15-year-old was
detained in the north of England and charged in connection with extreme
right-wing terrorism. He is due to appear at the Old Bailey on July 15.”



France



AFP: Paris Attacks Trial: The 20 Suspects
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“A total of 20 people have been tried over the November 2015 attacks by the
Islamic State group on the Bataclan concert hall and other targets around
Paris, with the verdicts expected on Wednesday. Only 14 of them have appeared
in person, with the rest missing or presumed to be dead. Once a pot-smoking
party-lover who grew up in the impoverished Molenbeek district of Brussels,
Abdeslam turned to radical Islam along with his brother Brahim, who blew
himself up in a bar during the Paris attacks. The only surviving attacker gave
his profession as an “Islamic State fighter” and recounted religious verses in
his first appearance in court in September, but his provocative early behaviour
has faded from view. He broke down in tears in April and apologised to victims,
asking them to “hate me with moderation.” He has defended himself by saying he
never killed anyone after alleging he backed out of his mission to blow himself
up in a bar. Prosecutors say his suicide belt was simply defective. He went on
the run for four months after the attacks and was involved in a shootout with
police in Brussels, for which he has already been sentenced to 20 years in
prison. French prosecutors have requested a full life sentence.”



Germany



Associated Press: Police Raid Suspected Islamic Extremists Across Germany
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“German police conducted raids across the country Tuesday targeting
individuals and premises believed to be linked to a banned Islamic extremist
group. Authorities say the group’s goal is to establish an Islamic state in
Germany that rejects democracy and uses religious texts as the sole basis for
all laws. The dpa news agency reported that officers searched dozens of
locations in six German states, arresting three people. Prosecutors say a total
of 41 people are accused of membership in the banned group known as the
“Caliphate State.”



Technology



The Intercept: Facebook Labels Abortion Rights Vandals As Terrorists Following
Roe Reversal
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“The day after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, Facebook’s parent
company, Meta, internally designated the abortion rights group Jane’s Revenge
as a terrorist organization, according to company materials reviewed by The
Intercept, subjecting discussion of the group and its actions to the company’s
most stringent censorship policies. Experts say the decision, Meta’s first
known policy response for the post-Roe era, threatens free expression around
abortion rights at a critical moment. The brief internal bulletin from Meta
Platforms Inc., which owns Instagram and Facebook, was titled “[EMERGENCY Micro
Policy Update] [Terrorism] Jane’s Revenge” and filed to the company’s internal
Dangerous Individuals and Organizations rulebook, meaning that the abortion
rights group, which has so far committed only acts of vandalism, will be
treated with the same speech restrictions against “praise, support, and
representation” applied to the Islamic State and Hitler. The memo, circulated
to Meta moderators on June 25, describes Jane’s Revenge as “a far-left
extremist group that has claimed responsibility on its website for an attack
against an anti-abortion group’s office in Madison, Wisconsin in May 2022. The
group is responsible for multiple arson and vandalism attacks on pro-life
institutions.”



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