“An Iranian national plotted to assassinate at least two former Trump
administration officials, the Department of Justice said, in what it described a











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Eye on Extremism


August 11, 2022



The Wall Street Journal: John Bolton Was Target Of Assassination Plot By
Iranian National
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“An Iranian national plotted to assassinate at least two former Trump
administration officials, the Department of Justice said, in what it described
as a likely retaliation for the 2020 killing of a prominent Iranian general. A
criminal complaint unsealed Wednesday said Shahram Poursafi, 45 years old, of
Tehran, tried to kill one of former President Donald Trump’s national-security
advisers, John Bolton, by offering to pay an individual in the U.S. $300,000.
Agents affiliated with Mr. Poursafi conducted surveillance on Mr. Bolton.
Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was also notified that he was an intended
target, according to a person close to him. The charging document mentions a
second “job” that Mr. Poursafi had intended to pursue against a “former
high-ranking United States Government official from the Trump administration,”
but didn’t mention Mr. Pompeo by name. The Justice Department said the attempts
were probably a response to the U.S.’s killing of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary
Guard Corps commander, Qassem Soleimani, in January 2020.”



BBC News: Aine Davis: Alleged Fourth IS 'Beatle' Arrested In UK On Terror
Charges <[link removed]>



“A man accused of being part of a notorious Islamic State group cell which
murdered hostages, has been arrested on terror charges in the UK. Aine Davis,
of west London, flew into Luton airport after his release from a Turkish jail
where he was serving a seven-and-a-half-year sentence for membership of the
terror group. During his trial, Davis denied being part of the cell, nicknamed
the Beatles because of members' British accents. Davis is being held in police
custody. The 38-year-old was arrested by officers from the Metropolitan
Police's Counter Terrorism Command and taken to a police station in south
London. He was arrested in relation to offences under the Terrorism Act, 2000,
including fundraising and possession of articles for terrorist purposes. The
'Beatles' cell is believed to have been made up of four members - all thought
to have grown up in west London - who volunteered to fight for IS in Syria and
ended up guarding Western hostages. They were nicknamed the Beatles, after the
Liverpudlian band, by hostages due to their English accents. US authorities
have said the group killed 27 hostages, beheading several of them. Videos of
the murders were sent around the world, causing outrage.”



United States



New York Daily News: Man Who Helped Bankroll Brooklyn ISIS Wannabe Fighter
Sentenced To 11 Years
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“A Uzbek man who plotted to bankroll ISIS wannabes hoping to fight in Syria
was sentenced in Brooklyn federal court Wednesday to 11 years behind bars.
Dilshod Khusanov, 37, admitted to plotting to pay the travel expenses for one
of the jihadist hopefuls to join the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham and the
al-Nusra Front. Khusanov lived near Chicago, but the would-be fighters he
sponsored was from Brooklyn, and was caught trying to pass through John F.
Kennedy Airport. In court filings Khusanov’s lawyer argued that his client had
no interest in taking action against America. “On the contrary, as the
referenced conversations reflect, he respected the United States and the
freedom it gave him and fellow Muslims to worship,” his attorney, Richard
Levitt, wrote. “His goal was to assist others to oppose the brutal and
oppressive regime of our common enemy, Bashar Al-Assad.” Levitt also brought up
Khusanov’s five years spent awaiting trial in the troubled Metropolitan
Detention Center in Brooklyn, pointing out that his client suffered through the
jail’s days-long blackout in the winter of 2019. As part of his plea deal,
Khusanov couldn’t be sentenced to less than 11 years behind bars without
prosecutors’ approval, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office didn’t buy his anti-Assad
argument.”



Syria



AFP: Syria Says Daesh Leader Killed In South
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“A leader of Daesh group blew himself up in southern Syria after being
surrounded by government forces, state media reported on Wednesday, citing a
security source. The official SANA news agency said security forces carried out
a “special operation” in the Daraa area that led to the death of “the terrorist
Abu Salem Al-Iraqi.” Iraqi “triggered his explosive belt after being surrounded
and wounded,” the agency said. The security source said Iraqi had been the
military chief of the extremist group in the country’s south. The Britain-based
Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor, which has a vast network of
sources on the ground, said Iraqi died on Tuesday. It said he had been hiding
out in the area since 2018, and had taken part in killings and attacks there.
Daraa province has mostly been under regime control since 2018, but rebel
groups still control some areas under a truce deal agreed with Russia, an ally
of Damascus. After a meteoric rise in 2014 in Iraq and Syria that saw it
conquer vast swathes of territory, Daesh saw its self-proclaimed “caliphate”
collapse under a wave of offensives. It was defeated in Iraq in 2017 and in
Syria two years later, but sleeper cells of the extremist Sunni Muslim group
still carry out attacks in both countries.”



Iraq



Al Monitor: Suicide Attack Thwarted As Iraqi Shiites Celebrate Ashura
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“Concerns about possible attacks during the Shiite Muslim Ashura religious
celebrations that began this week led to heightened security and concerns
across both much of the Middle East and Afghanistan. In the Iraqi capital,
there were no reported attacks. In the Diyala province along the Iranian
border, however, a suicide bomber who had been planning on attacking the Shiite
celebrations reportedly blew himself up after being surrounded by security
forces there. The attacker, who was wearing an explosive belt, had reportedly
been approaching a military headquarters when he was surrounded. Diyala has a
mixed Shiite and Sunni population and a history wrought with extremist and
sectarian violence. It has suffered multiple attacks claimed by the Islamic
State (IS) in recent months and has for years been one of the most concerning
areas in the country in terms of IS incidents. Four soldiers were killed in a
single attack recently in the province. In October last year, an IS attack
against members of a prominent Shiite-majority tribe in Diyala was followed by
retaliatory violence against local Sunnis.”



Afghanistan



Arab News: Taliban Gunmen Attack Al-Hadath TV Team During Live Broadcast In
Kabul <[link removed]>



“Several armed Taliban members attacked an Al-Hadath TV team on Wednesday
during a live broadcast while they were covering the Food and Agriculture
Organization’s humanitarian aid distribution in Afghanistan’s capital Kabul. In
the video of the incident, Al-Hadath’s Kabul correspondent Christiane Baissary
and her camera crew are seen being pushed around by men carrying guns, while
the camera pans away. Baissary is then heard saying “they attacked the
cameraman,” while the camera focuses on two men waving their hands and guns at
the TV team. Al-Hadath’s correspondent then explains that the men are Taliban
members in civilian dress. “Some said we could film here, but others said we
cannot,” explains Baissary. In the video, one armed Taliban man waves the
camera away, and then forces the cameraman from the scene. Baissary reiterates
that one man has allowed them to film the FAO’s food aid distribution, but that
another has attacked the cameraman with a whip, which is seen in his hand.
Baissary is then heard saying that they have to leave the scene, with the
camera still rolling. As the team members climb into their car, another Taliban
man with a gun approaches the vehicle and the reporter is heard saying: “They
entered the car and they are armed.”



Nigeria



All Africa: Nigeria: Army Arrests 7 Boko Haram Logistics Suppliers,
Kidnappers, Rescues Victims <[link removed]>



“Troops of 195 Battalion of Operation Hadin Kai, have arrested seven Boko
Haram logistics suppliers and kidnappers on the outskirts of Maidugiri, the
Borno State capital. The arrested suppliers include; Hadiza Ali, Kelo Abba,
Mariam Aji, Kamsilum Ali, Ngubdo Modu and Abiso Lawan, among others. According
to an intelligence report obtained by Zagazola Makama, a Counter Insurgency
Expert and Security Analyst in the Lake Chad, from top military sources and
made available to LEADERSHIP, the suspects were discovered with large
quantities of logistics meant for the Boko Haram terrorists. “During searching,
different items including large quantities of fuel, mosquito nets, noodles
among others were recovered. “Troops, however, became suspicious when large
quantities of garri concealed in gallons and hidden beneath the vehicles were
discovered. “Upon systematic interrogation, the females confessed being Boko
Haram members operating within Muna Garage IDP Camp, Mafa and Dikwa with their
fighters camp at Boboshe and Gulumba riverline in Dikwa Local Government Area
of Borno State. “They revealed that the garri were packed in the gallons in
other to beat checkpoints and also to help preserve it against rain as the
garri and other items are burried in the ground at their agreed exchange
points, where their fighters collect them.”



Mali



Reuters: Forty-Two Malian Soldiers Killed In Suspected Islamist Attack
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“Forty-two Malian soldiers were killed and 22 injured in an attack near the
town of Tessit on Sunday, Mali's government said on Wednesday, blaming an
Islamic State affiliate. It was one of the deadliest attacks in recent years
for the Malian army, which has been battling a decade-long insurgency by
militant groups that have spread across West Africa's Sahel region. “The Malian
army units of Tessit... reacted vigorously to a complex and coordinated attack
by armed terrorist groups, presumably from Islamic State in the Greater Sahara
(ISGS), characterised by the use of drones, explosives, car bombs, and
artillery,” the government said in a statement. Soldiers killed 37 combatants
during several hours of heavy fighting, it added. The army had previously said
that 17 soldiers had been killed in the attack and that nine had gone missing.
Mali is ruled by a military junta that overthrew the democratic government in
2020, in part over frustration at its failure to rein in violence, but attacks
have remained common. An al Qaeda affiliate claimed an attack on the country's
main military base in late July.”



Associated Press: Mali Declares 3 Days Of Mourning After Attacks Kill Dozens
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“Malian authorities declared three days of national mourning to begin
Thursday after a pair of weekend attacks by Islamic extremist groups killed
dozens of soldiers and police officers across the volatile West African
country. In the deadliest violence, the Malian army said an attack Sunday in
the northern region of Gao killed 42 soldiers. A statement said the assault was
carried out by Islamic militants who used drones, artillery and booby-trapped
vehicles. Also Sunday, five police officers were killed in the country's south,
when extremists attacked a police station near the border with Burkina Faso.
Three other officers remained missing after the assault on the Sona border
police station, said Soulaimane Traore, director-general of the national
police. The following day, militants belonging to an al-Qaida-linked group
known as JNIM claimed responsibility. Mali and its international partners have
been fighting off extremists for nearly a decade, and the situation has showed
signs of deteriorating after France began withdrawing its troops following a
series of disputes with the Malian government. In 2013, France led a military
operation to expel Islamic militants from power in the major towns across
Mali's north.”



Africa



Associated Press: 5 Dead, 750 Escape In Rebel Attack On Eastern Congo Prison
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“At least five people, including two policemen, were killed in an attack on a
prison in which about 750 inmates escaped in Congo’s eastern Butembo town,
local officials said Wednesday. Rebels of the Allied Democratic Forces attacked
the Kakwangura prison early Wednesday during a transfer of prisoners, said
Capt. Anthony Mwalushay, spokesman for the Congolese army in Beni. Three ADF
attackers burned to death in the assault, he said. The rebels launched the
attack based on information that women prisoners associated with their group
would be transferred from Beni to Butembo, he said. “We call on the population
to remain calm,” he said. Butembo mayor Mowa Baeki-Telly told The Associated
Press that the prison held more than 800 prisoners and that only about 50
remain. “We are tracking the ADF rebels and detaining them in town,” he said,
adding that they will have a more official count by the end of the day. In
October 2020, another rebel attack on the Kangbayi prison, caused about 1,300
detainees to escape in Beni in the North Kivu province.”



United Kingdom



The U.S. Sun: ISIS ‘Beatle’ Arrested After Landing In UK After Release From
Turkish Prison
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“…Victims were beheaded on film by Mohamed Emwazi, 27 — Jihadi John, who was
killed in a US drone strike in Syria in 2015. The other gang members — Alexanda
Kotey, 38, who was dubbed Jihadi George and El Shafee Elsheikh, 34, known as
Jihadi Ringo — were jailed for life in the US in April. Among those they killed
were British aid workers David Haines, 44, Alan Henning, 47, and two US
journalists. Prof Ian Acheson, advisor to the Counter Extremism Project, said:
“We must take responsibility for our own citizens suspected of serious
terrorist offences overseas. “They need to be returned to this county and held
accountable in our courts for their crimes and, if convicted, serve sentences
here. “We can and should use all legal methods at our disposal to send people
from this country who travel abroad to commit acts of violent extremism to jail
for a very long time.”



Middle East Eye: Tory Leadership Race Shatters Hopes For A More Tolerant
Conservative Party
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“…His justification for this is that 80 percent of live counterterrorism
investigations, but barely a quarter of Prevent referrals, are
“Islamist”-related. Indeed, leaks from the upcoming review of Prevent have
revealed that it will recommend an emphasis on “Islamist extremism”, rather
than the far right. Recent reporting has blamed political correctness for
Muslims not being flagged to the “counter-extremism” programme in higher
numbers. “We don’t have the robust challenge we should have, because everyone
is so afraid of being racist,” warned Professor Ian Acheson, a former prison
governor and senior advisor to the Counter Extremism Project, an international
policy organisation.”



Technology



The Washington Post: Facebook Bans Hate Speech But Still Makes Money From
White Supremacists
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“Last year, a Facebook page administrator put out a clarion call for new
followers: They were looking for “the good ole boys and girls from the south
who believe in white [supremacy].” The page — named Southern Brotherhood — was
live on Tuesday afternoon and riddled with photos of swastikas and expressions
of white power. Facebook has long banned content referencing white nationalism.
But a plethora of hate groups still populate the site, and the company boosts
its revenue by running ads on searches for these pages. A new report from the
Tech Transparency Project, a nonprofit tech watchdog, found 119 Facebook pages
and 20 Facebook groups associated with white supremacy organizations. Of 226
groups identified as white-supremacist organizations by the Anti-Defamation
League, the Southern Poverty Law Center, and a leaked version of Facebook’s
dangerous organizations and individuals list, more than a third have a presence
on the platform, according to the study. Released Wednesday and obtained
exclusively by The Washington Post, the report found that Facebook continues to
serve ads against searches for white-supremacist content, such as the phrases
Ku Klux Klan and American Defense Skinheads, a longtime criticism of civil
rights groups, who argue that the company prioritizes profits over the
dangerous impact of such content.”



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