Eye on Extremism
June 29, 2022
Reuters: Egyptian Court Sentences 10 To Death On Terrorism Charges
“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
“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
“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
“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
“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
“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
“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
“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
“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
“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 In UK
“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
“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
“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
“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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