“Hamdi Alqudsi has been found guilty of planning a series of attacks as leader
of a Sydney terrorist organisation known as the Shura in 2014. The verdict was
handed down by a NSW Supreme Court jury on Thursday. Alqudsi knowingly directed
the activities of the Shura from August to December 2014. His plans included
attacks on the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, the Garden Island Naval Base
in the Sydney suburb of Woolloomooloo, a courthouse and the Australian Federal
Police. Hamdi Alqudsi, 4, is on trial accused of leading a Sydney-based terror
cell in 2014. The Shura, which means consultative council or consultation
council in Arabic, was formed in 2013. Its initial intention was to send
fighters from Australia to Syria in the war against government or coalition
forces. After these aims were disrupted by the AFP and NSW Police, the group
then shifted focus to domestic terrorist activity. Alqudsi was the leader of
the group, positioning himself as “commander of the boys” and “emir of the
Shura” and holding meetings at his homes in Revesby and St Helens Park, Sydney.
He, along with many Shura members, pledged allegiance to Islamic State in a
ceremony at Wattamolla Beach on August 31, 2014. IS accepted this pledge about
two weeks later.”











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Eye on Extremism


September 15, 2022



The Sydney Morning Herald: Sydney Terrorist Leader Hamdi Alqudsi Found Guilty
Of Planning Attacks
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“Hamdi Alqudsi has been found guilty of planning a series of attacks as leader
of a Sydney terrorist organisation known as the Shura in 2014. The verdict was
handed down by a NSW Supreme Court jury on Thursday. Alqudsi knowingly directed
the activities of the Shura from August to December 2014. His plans included
attacks on the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, the Garden Island Naval Base
in the Sydney suburb of Woolloomooloo, a courthouse and the Australian Federal
Police. Hamdi Alqudsi, 4, is on trial accused of leading a Sydney-based terror
cell in 2014. The Shura, which means consultative council or consultation
council in Arabic, was formed in 2013. Its initial intention was to send
fighters from Australia to Syria in the war against government or coalition
forces. After these aims were disrupted by the AFP and NSW Police, the group
then shifted focus to domestic terrorist activity. Alqudsi was the leader of
the group, positioning himself as “commander of the boys” and “emir of the
Shura” and holding meetings at his homes in Revesby and St Helens Park, Sydney.
He, along with many Shura members, pledged allegiance to Islamic State in a
ceremony at Wattamolla Beach on August 31, 2014. IS accepted this pledge about
two weeks later.”



Reuters: Syria May 'Return To Larger-Scale Fighting,' U.N. Warns In New Report
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“Syria's simmering 11-year war is at risk of boiling up once again with a
return to large-scale combat after several frontlines across the country flared
up in recent months, the United Nations warned on Wednesday in a new report.
"Syria cannot afford a return to larger-scale fighting, but that is where it
may be heading," said Paulo Sérgio Pinheiro, chair of the U.N.'s Syria
commission. Hundreds of thousands of people have died and millions made
homeless since protests against President Bashar al-Assad in 2011 escalated
into a civil war that drew in foreign powers and left Syria carved into zones
of control. Fighting has cooled in recent years after Iran and Russia helped
Assad recapture 70% of Syrian territory, the United States backed Kurdish
fighters that defeated Islamic State militants, and Turkey set up a buffer zone
near its border. But the United Nations said fault lines between various areas
are now starting to heat up again. "We had an idea at some point that the war
was completely finished in Syria," Pinheiro told journalists in Geneva, adding
that incidents documented in the report proved this was not the case.”



United States



The Washington Times: FBI Insiders Say White Supremacy Threat Overblown As
Biden Opens Summit About Racists, Extremists
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“President Biden will convene a forum Thursday at the White House aimed at
confronting what civil rights groups, local officials and academics say is an
explosive rise in extremism and White supremacy that threatens the core of
America’s democracy. The “United We Stand” summit builds on the
administration’s push to root out racially motivated domestic violent
extremists. The threat sparked a sweeping strategy that included the creation
of a specialized Justice Department unit to combat domestic terrorism. Mr.
Biden will deliver the keynote address to highlight the administration’s
response to hate and “put forward a shared vision for a more united America,”
officials said. Current and former FBI agents tell The Washington Times that
the perceived threat has become overblown under the administration. They say
bureau analysts and top officials are pressuring FBI agents to create domestic
terrorist cases and tag people as White supremacists to meet internal metrics.
“The demand for White supremacy” coming from FBI headquarters “vastly outstrips
the supply of White supremacy,” said one agent, who spoke on the condition of
anonymity. “We have more people assigned to investigate White supremacists than
we can actually find.”



Pakistan



Associated Press: Death Toll From Overnight Bombing In Pakistan Rises To 8
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“Eight people have been killed in a roadside bombing that targeted an
anti-Taliban village elder’s vehicle in northwestern Pakistan, police said.
Saeed Khan, a senior police official in Swat, said the slain head of a village
peace committee, Idrees Khan, was traveling in the area when the roadside bomb
hit his vehicle. He said that initial reports suggested the bombing killed five
but later they concluded eight people had died, including two policemen. We're
following changes at the palace after the passing of Queen Elizabeth II. Get
the Post Elizabeth newsletter for updates. In a statement, Mohammad Khurasani,
the spokesman for the Pakistani Taliban militant group — known as
Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan — claimed responsibility. He said that the slain
head of the peace committee had been supporting security forces for the past
several years. The Pakistani Taliban have been holding peace talks since May in
Kabul, Afghanistan. But isolated militant attacks and security raids on
militant hideouts have continued, raising fears these talks could break in the
coming months, if not weeks. A formal cease-fire between Pakistan and the TTP
is still in place. The talks in Kabul are hosted by the Afghan Taliban, a
separate group allied with the Pakistani Taliban. The Taliban seized power in
Afghanistan a year ago. That takeover has emboldened the Pakistani Taliban,
whose fighters and leaders, officials say, have been hiding in Afghanistan.”



Middle East



Associated Press: Israeli Officer, 2 Palestinian Militants Killed In Shootout
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“Palestinian gunmen opened fire on Israeli troops near a military checkpoint
in the occupied West Bank Wednesday, killing an Israeli army officer, Israel's
military said. Palestinian officials said that troops killed the two gunmen.
The overnight incident was the latest in a string of deadly clashes in recent
months in the northern West Bank, where Israeli troops conduct nightly raids.
Most of that fighting, including Wednesday’s, has taken place near the city of
Jenin, which is known as a bastion of Palestinian militants. The military said
soldiers spotted the two militants approaching Israel’s separation barrier in
the northern West Bank and that it dispatched forces to the area. It said the
two suspects began shooting automatic weapons at troops, who returned fire. The
Israeli army said that Maj. Bar Falah, 30, was killed in the shootout. The
official Palestinian news agency Wafa reported that the Israeli army was
holding the bodies of the two men. It identified them as Ahmad Abed, 23, and
Abd al-Rahman Abed, 22, both from a village near Jenin. The Israeli military
confirmed that Ahmad Abed was a member of the Palestinian Authority security
services, which coordinate with Israel in an uneasy alliance against their
common foe, the Hamas militant group.”



The Times Of Israel: US Official Says White House Is Very Troubled By Rising
West Bank Violence <[link removed]>



“US Assistant Secretary for Near Eastern Affairs Barbara Leaf says the Biden
administration is working to ensure continued security cooperation between
Israel and the Palestinian Authority amid the ongoing spike in West Bank
violence. In a phone briefing about her recent trip to the region, Leaf says
the US is very concerned about the deteriorating security situation, which was
at the top of her agenda during meetings with Israeli and Palestinian
officials. But while acknowledging that Israeli-PA security coordination can
help curb the violence, economic improvements for Palestinians are also
critical, Leaf says, adding that the US is working to promote such steps. She
highlights the granting of 4G cellular access to Palestinians and opening the
Allenby crossing between the West Bank and Jordan 24/7 — two announcements made
by the US during President Joe Biden’s July trip to the region, which Leaf says
she pushed to ensure would be implemented. Asked about the status of
Israel-Lebanon maritime talks, Leaf says “they’re progressing” and that “both
parties are showing a good constructive engagement.”



The Times Of Israel: Financial Offenses Tied To Terror Funds, Organized Crime
In Israel Soared In 2021
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“A report by a government agency released Wednesday found a sharp increase in
financial crimes connected to organized crime and terror financing in 2021 over
the previous year’s figures. According to the Israel Money Laundering and
Terror Financing Prohibition Authority, which operates under the Justice
Ministry, organized crime’s share of all financial crimes grew from 6.8 percent
in 2020 to 19% in 2021. Organized crime in the Arab sector has become a severe
problem in recent years. The scarcity of financial services for many Arab
Israelis has seen criminal organizations stepping into the vacuum and offering
black market loans and other services to Arab citizens, generating funds for
these groups and contributing to their growing power and increasing violence.
In addition, the report found that terror financing also grew as a percentage
of financial crimes in Israel from 9% in 2020 to 14.6% in 2021. Fraud, deceit,
and counterfeiting comprised the largest part of financial crime in 2021 at
23%, while tax crimes (11.2%), bribery and corruption (8.7%) and the drug trade
(4%) were the other major realms of such crime.”



Somalia



All Africa: Somalia: Deputy Minister Blames Al-Shabaab For Sowing Clan
Hostility <[link removed]>



“The Deputy Minister of Information of the Somali government, Abdirahman
Yusuf Al-Adalla, said that when Al-Shabaab was defeated in the battlefields,
they started to sow hatred and animosity among the Somali communities. The
deputy minister made the remarks at an event to mark the tourism day held in
Mogadishu. He warned the Somali people against Al-Shabaab's plot to pit the
Somali communities against each other. Al-Adala has added that they are after
people who are in charge of confronting the Somali tribes. “The Somali
government is working for people to live and develop, while Al-Shabaab is after
destruction, killing and this country continues to be in trouble,” Minister
Abdirahman Yusuf Al-Adalah. The minister's blame comes as communities in the
country's central regions have started a rebellion to liberate themselves from
the Al-Shabaab.”



Mali



AFP: Mali Commander Urges People To Flee Extremist-Hit Northern Area
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“A well-known Malian commander has urged civilians to flee part of a northern
region recently attacked by ISIS fighters, in a rare admission of the security
problems facing locals. “There are no armed forces or any entity to guarantee
the security of the population in these areas,” General El Hadj Ag Gamou said
in a message circulating on WhatsApp. For the latest headlines, follow our
Google News channel online or via the app.

Gamou is an ethnic Tuareg who has played a prominent role in the fight
against ISIS in the Greater Sahara (ISGS) group in the Gao region. His undated
audio message in the Tamashek language, authenticated to AFP on Wednesday, was
a rare admission from such a senior source of the severity of the situation in
area. It referred specifically to the village of Djebock and neighboring
localities between the towns of Gao and Talataye. “The enemy will surely take
control of these areas because no security is there to stop them,” Gamou
warned. He said he “strongly” urged locals to leave and “settle in large cities
for their safety and that of their herds while waiting for stability to
return.” The Sahel country is in the grip of an extremist campaign that began
in the north in 2012 alongside a local Tuareg insurgency. Extremist massacres
spread in 2015 to the center of the country and to neighboring Niger and
Burkina Faso.”



France



AFP: Widow Of Bataclan Attacker Jailed In France After Repatriation: Sources
<[link removed]>



“The widow of one of the extremist attackers who stormed the Bataclan concert
venue in Paris in November 2015 has been repatriated to France and charged with
associating with terrorists, sources close to the case said on Wednesday. The
woman, identified as Kahina El H., was among a group of 51 women and children
brought back from detention camps in northeast Syria, where they have been held
since the fall of the ISIS group. For the latest headlines, follow our Google
News channel online or via the app. The repatriations are hugely controversial
in France, which has largely refused to bring citizens accused of joining
terrorist groups in Syria or Iraq to return home to face justice, citing
security risks. The European Court of Human Rights condemned France on
Wednesday over its refusal to repatriate two of its female citizens from Syria,
where they are being held after travelling to the country to join their
Islamist partners. French authorities should re-examine the request by the
women’s parents to allow them to return home, the court said. The government
has long refused such a move, saying extremist fighters and their families must
face local justice. The parents, supported by rights groups, have sought in
vain for approval to bring them home from French authorities, which until July
had returned only a handful of women and children on a “case by case” basis.”



Deutsche Welle: France Ordered To Revisit Repatriation Requests Of 'Islamic
State' Wives
<[link removed]>



“The European Court of Human Rights on Wednesday ruled that France must
re-examine repatriation requests from two French women who travelled to Syria
with their partners to join the so-called 'Islamic State', and the children
they gave birth to there. Responding to a suit by the womens' parents, the
court said that France's refusal to bring the women back was a violation of the
right to “enter the territory of the state of which (one) is a national.” The
court ordered the government to pay one set of parents €18,000 ($18,000) and
the other €13,200 in damages and costs. “The law has triumphed,” the father of
one of the women, who gave only his first name, Albert, said after the ruling.
“I hope that they are not going to spend another winter over there, my grandson
is only three and a half years old and that's all he's ever known.” The two
women and their children are currently in a Kurdish-run detention camp in Syria
that holds tens of thousands of suspected relatives of IS fighters. Rights
groups say that at least 75 of the women and 160 of the children are French. In
court, the families argued that the children and grandchildren had been
subjected to inhumane treatment and degrading conditions during their prolonged
stay in Syria. They took the case to the European court in Strasbourg after a
French judge ruled that Paris could not be held responsible for the living
conditions of the Syrian camps since “it was not exercizing its jurisdiction
there.”



Europe



The Jerusalem Post: Israel, European Union Sign Intel Sharing Agreement In Bid
To Tackle Terror <[link removed]>



“Israel Police concluded an agreement with the European Union on Wednesday to
share intelligence with the EU's Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation, more
commonly known as Europol. As per the new deal, Israeli law enforcement will be
able to share and receive intel with their European counterparts in real-time.
The deal focuses on information in relation to serious crime and terrorism.
Haim Regev, the Israeli ambassador to the European Union who was present to
sign the dotted line, wrote on Twitter that he was “happy to conclude” the
negotiations with Europol, noting the deal marks “another milestone in
strengthening cooperation between Israel and the EU.” Israel's new intelligence
capabilities are set to significantly strengthen police's ability to maintain
public safety, a government statement read. It was crucial for Public Security
Minister Omer Bar Lev to secure the agreement with his tenure as minister
likely coming to an end soon, he said following the news of the deal. “As crime
and terrorism reach an unprecedented level worldwide, it was important to
finalize the drawn-out negotiations to strengthen the cooperation between the
agencies. “The enemy in front of us has become elusive, sophisticated and
increasingly bankrolled,” the public security minister claimed. “This agreement
will strenghen Israel Police and the Public Security Ministry's capabilities.”



Technology



Axios: Congress Will Quiz Tech's Product Chiefs On Extremism
<[link removed]>



“Top tech executives in charge of product design for Meta, YouTube, Twitter
and TikTok will be grilled on Capitol Hill Wednesday. Driving the news: The
ways that online extremism can lead to real-world violence and tech product
design can promote dangerous content will be the focus of a Senate Homeland
Security and Governmental Affairs committee hearing. Why it matters:
Congressional hearings spotlighting tech CEOs have regularly devolved into
efforts by questioners to shape “gotcha” moments, but this time, lawmakers say
they're aiming for substantive answers about algorithms, design and how
business decisions are made. Details: Witnesses will include: Chris Cox, chief
product officer, Meta Neal Mohan, chief product officer, YouTube Vanessa
Pappas, chief operating officer, TikTok and Jay Sullivan, general manager of
Bluebird, Twitter. Two former tech product execs from Meta and Twitter and a
tech policy expert from a think tank will appear on an earlier panel. What
they're saying: Social media platform design can push people toward
“increasingly extreme and even dangerous content like white supremacist and
anti-government ideologies that have motivated recent domestic terror attacks —
one of the most serious national security threats we face today,” Senator Gary
Peters (D-Mich.), chairman of the Homeland Security Committee, said in a
statement.”



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