Eye on Extremism
September 30, 2022
Reuters: Rockets Hit Central Baghdad For Second Day In Escalating Unrest
“Four rockets fired from eastern Baghdad on Thursday landed around the Iraqi capital’s Green Zone, home to government buildings and foreign missions, police said, as political unrest intensified. There were no immediate reports of casualties from the strikes and no claim of responsibility, two police officers said. A number of Shi’ite Muslim militant groups have offices and supporters in eastern Baghdad. A similar attack on Wednesday wounded seven members of the Iraqi security forces in the Green Zone, and appeared to add a new dimension to a contest among power-hungry politicians. Rocket attacks on the Green Zone have been regular in recent years but they are normally directed at Western targets by Iran-backed militia groups. Those attacks have been rare in recent months. Wednesday’s attack took place as parliament was holding a vote to confirm its speaker. The political crisis has left Iraq without a government for nearly a year after elections last October. The crisis broadly pits the powerful populist Shi’ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, a political, religious and militia leader, against an array of mostly Iran-aligned political and militant groups. Sadr, the biggest winner of the election, withdrew all his lawmakers from parliament in June and has sworn not to let parliament convene, fearing other parties will form a government without him.”
Iran International: New US Push On Iran Sanctions Signals End Of Nuclear Talks
“After reports that nuclear talks with Iran have ended, Washington tightened the screws by sanctioning several foreign companies involved in oil trade with Tehran. Critics have been accusing the Biden administration of not seriously implementing sanctions imposed by former President Donald Trump, while negotiating with Tehran to revive the 2015 nuclear accord, the JCPOA. They argue that a substantial increase in Iranian oil exports to China occurred when President Joe Biden assumed office. This in turn made Iran more intransigent in nuclear talks that began in April 2021. The latest warning came on September 23 from an advocacy group, United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI), opposed to the revival of the JCPOA. In a report UANI argued that since President Joe Biden’s election, China has bought around $38 billion of crude oil from Iran in violation of US third-party sanctions.”
United States
Yahoo News: NYPD Cop Of 18 Years Charged With Hate Crime Over Anti-Muslim Attack
“An officer who spent the last 18 years with the New York Police Department has been fired from the force due to his alleged involvement in an anti-Muslim attack earlier this year. Riggs Kwong, 50, is facing multiple charges — including hate crimes — for the Jan. 16 road rage incident, which allegedly saw him pummel, spit on and use anti-Muslim language toward a 32-year-old man. The altercation reportedly started when Kwong’s Honda Accord blocked Abdul Motalab, who was in a Toyota RAV4, from making a turn at McDonald and Church Avenues in Kensington, Brooklyn. Motalab retaliated by cutting Kwong off when the latter tried to turn from Church Avenue onto an Ocean Parkway service road. Kwong then filmed himself unleashing a series of anti-Muslim slurs, according to prosecutors. More from NextShark: Boba shop owner’s life savings gone after fire destroys multiple businesses in Seattle “I’m trying to make a left here on the service road and this terrorist is terrorizing me,” Kwong told Motalab. “You’re upset because I didn’t let you make a U-turn, Mr. Mohammed… Al Qaeda, terrorist, ISIS…” Motalab exited his vehicle to take a photo of Kwong’s license plate. Meanwhile, Kwong allegedly continued to hurl racial slurs.”
ABC 7 News: New Details Revealed In Suspected Terror Plot Targeting Chicago Area Mosques And Synagogues
“Xavier Pelkey, an 18-year-old from New England, planned to separate worshipers at a Chicago Shia mosque, then kill all the adults, according to a secret FBI search warrant obtained by the I-Team. The 45 pages lay out an intricate plot we first reported last spring, when the Maine teenager was charged with possessing a bomb. Now, it appears the feds are ready to level far more serious charges against Pelkey. The ABC7 I-Team looked into a national security question: Is there some top-secret component of an alleged Chicago plot to bomb mosques? Pictures of swords, guns, and menacing looking subjects posed in front of the ISIS flag are posted in the search warrant. Pictures shown in the document adorn chat room conversations alleged between Pelkey, 18, who lived with his family in the small Maine town of Waterville, and unnamed, uncharged teen co-defendants in Chicago and Kentucky. Initially, Pelkey was charged only with having explosives, even though authorities said he was going to come to Chicago and attack mosques and synagogues. At that point, the extent of the alleged plot wasn't revealed. The federal search warrant we obtained reveals terrifying details of a violent planned attack: a “mass shooting at an identified Shia mosque in the Chicago area in late March.”
Iran
Reuters: U.S. Imposes New Sanctions On Iran Oil Exports, Targets Chinese Firms
“The United States on Thursday imposed sanctions on companies it accused of involvement in Iran's petrochemical and petroleum trade, including five based in China, pressuring Tehran as it seeks to revive the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. Washington has increasingly targeted Chinese companies over the export of Iran's petrochemicals as the prospects of reviving the nuclear pact have dimmed. Indirect talks on the accord, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), have broken down. "So long as Iran refuses a mutual return to full implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, the United States will continue to enforce its sanctions on the sale of Iranian petroleum and petrochemical products," the Treasury's Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian Nelson said in a statement.”
Iraq
Daily Sabah: '16 Terrorist Caves Destroyed In Northern Iraq': Akar
“Defense Minister Hulusi Akar announced on Thursday that 16 caves were hit in an operation carried out in the 140-kilometer-deep (almost 90-mile-deep) region in northern Iraq. Akar was speaking on the program “City Meetings Towards 2023” in the southeastern Turkish town of Şırnak. He stated that they respect the territorial integrity of all neighbors, especially Iraq and Syria, and their sovereignty rights. “Syrians are our brothers, Iraqis are our brothers. There is no problem with that. Our problem is terrorists. We are after terrorists. This struggle will continue until the last terrorist is eliminated,” Akar said. Noting that the Claw Operations started after 2019, Akar stated that the most recent, Claw-Lock, is currently ongoing in northern Iraq's Zap. Stating that terrorists were targeted with great determination, Akar said: “The Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) entered 140 kilometers, hit and successfully destroyed 16 terrorist caves, bunkers, shelters and so-called command posts in Asos. This will continue. They really thought that Turkish soldiers could not reach them. Turkish soldiers have entered all of the places and continue to clean each spot one by one.” “We continue to stand by our friends, brothers and allies in their just cause, especially our brothers in Cyprus.”
Afghanistan
Foreign Policy: Afghan Resistance Leaders See ‘No Option’ But War
“Afghanistan is now perhaps the most dangerous country in the world, controlled by Taliban terrorists who are sheltering dozens of anti-Western jihadi groups while torturing, raping, starving, and killing their Afghan opponents. Yet the one person who could make a credible claim to be the leader of an opposition group to overthrow the Taliban has been unable to draw international support or unite fellow Afghans behind him. Ahmad Massoud, the 33-year-old son of an anti-Taliban war hero, leads the National Resistance Front (NRF), which is concentrated in the Panjshir Valley, a lush and mountainous province close to the capital, Kabul, where the Taliban have been struggling to dislodge them in the year since they took control of Afghanistan. The NRF is one of at least 22 resistance groups the United Nations says have emerged since the Taliban’s takeover last year. A few thousand men are fighting in disparate groups, taking and holding territory in a dozen provinces mainly across the north, where anti-Taliban sentiment is strongest. But they’ve yet to form a cohesive opposition to the Taliban, who have an increasingly tenuous hold on power as factional feuds emerge and international legitimacy remains elusive.”
India
Fox News: India Bans Muslim Group Popular Front Of India Over Terrorism Concerns
“India’s government banned a Muslim organization for five years, accusing it Wednesday of funding terrorist activities, providing armed training to its supporters and radicalizing people for anti-India activities. The ban followed the arrests and detentions of nearly 200 members of the Popular Front of India and raids on its offices this month. A counsel for the PFI rejected the accusations and accused investigating agencies of fabricating evidence and targeting the group. Muslims comprise more than 14% of India’s nearly 1.4 billion people. Tensions between Muslims and and Hindus have been rising, which critics of Prime Minister Narendra Modi attribute to his government's Hindu-nationalist agenda. The government accused the PFI of ties with the banned Students Islamic Movement of India, the Jamat-ul-Mujahideen of Bangladesh and the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. “PFI and its associates operated openly as a socio-economic, educational and political organization but they have been pursuing a secret agenda to radicalize a particular section of the society,” the government's notification said. The group came into existence in 2006 to counter Hindu-nationalist groups with the merger of the Karnataka Forum for Dignity and the National Development Front.”
Lebanon
The Jerusalem Post: Hezbollah Says It 'Won't Allow' Election Of President 'Dependent' On US
“The head of Hezbollah's executive council, Hashem Safi al-Din, warned Wednesday that the terrorist movement would not allow the election of a Lebanese president who is “dependent” on the US, according to Al-Manar. Din stated some Lebanese “make the mistake of seeking to secure America's interests” in elections or the plan to bring Lebanon out of its current crisis. The Hezbollah official warned that Hezbollah “will not allow and will not accept” the election of a Lebanese president who will follow and depend on the US. The statement comes just hours after the Lebanese parliament failed to elect a president, with a majority (63) MPs casting blank ballots. Michel Moawad, an independent Lebanese politician opposed to Hezbollah, received the largest number of votes (36), followed by Salim Eddeh who received 11 votes. Moawad is the son of former Lebanese president Rene Moawad, who was killed in November 1989 just a few weeks after taking office. According to Lebanese newspaper L'Orient Le Jour, he has strong ties with the US and has hosted a number of US officials in Lebanon, including then US secretary of state Mike Pompeo in March 2019.”
Middle East
The Jerusalem Post: Hamas Funneled Terrorism Funds Through Gazans With Israeli Entry Permits
“The IDF and Shin Bet thwarted a Hamas terrorism financing scheme using Gazans who were entering Israel for humanitarian reasons or with work permits and student activists at the Birzeit University in the West Bank, the IDF's Arabic-language spokesperson Avichay Adraee announced on Thursday. The terrorist movement used the financing scheme in order to transfer funds from the Gaza Strip to Hamas members in Turkey and to finance terrorist activities in the West Bank and Turkey. A group of student activists at Birzeit University were arrested in the case after they were caught in possession of credit cards that were used to transfer illegal funds from the Hamas leadership in Gaza to Hamas officials in Turkey. The money was smuggled out of Gaza using people who entered Israel for humanitarian reasons or with the aim of looking for work. The students at Birzeit University then withdrew the money from ATMs in Ramallah and used the funds for terrorist purposes, including to fund Hamas activists who belong to the Islamic bloc, which is considered to be student cells who work for Hamas at educational institutions in Judea, Samaria and the Gaza Strip. The Hamas movement has been caught using a variety of schemes in recent years to fund its activities in the Gaza Strip, West Bank and abroad.”
The Jerusalem Post: Lapid: Israel Acting On Every Front To Prevent Terror
“Israel is acting on every front to prevent terror, particularly in the West Bank, Prime Minister Yair Lapid said on Thursday after he met with Shin Bet Chief Ronen Bar at the Defense Ministry headquarters in Tel Aviv. Such activity is necessary to safeguard Israeli citizens so they can continue their normative routines, Lapid said. Bar briefed Lapid on the activities of the security force and said that they should remain in a state of increased readiness.”
Nigeria
All Africa: Nigeria: 2,295 Teachers' Lives Lost To Terrorism, Insurgency In Northeast - TRCN
“The Registrar/Chief Executive, Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN), Prof. Olusegun Ajiboye, has said 2,295 teachers have lost their lives to terrorism and insurgency in the North-east. This is just as he disclosed that over 1,500 schools have been forced to close down in the region between 2009 and 2022. Ajiboye, while speaking at the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) National Delegates Conference held in Ibadan Thursday, described the loss of the teachers as tragic, adding that 1.2 million students require emergency education in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe States. The TRCN boss also disclosed that over 910 schools have either been damaged or destroyed, noting that the world is grappling with terrorism which has dealt a serious blow on every facet of the economy including education. While urging the federal government to review its security architecture to address the deteriorating security situation because of its effect on education, he stated that he is willing to continue to champion the professionalism and welfare of teachers in the country. He said: “Government should implement fully the safe schools declaration guidelines endorsed by Nigeria in 2015 and ratified by President Muhammadu Buhari in 2019.”
Africa
AFP: Morocco Arrests Suspected ISIS Member
“Moroccan police said Thursday they had arrested a suspected ISIS member, in cooperation with US intelligence officers, who was accused of plotting a “terrorist” act. The 29-year-old man was arrested in the economic capital Casablanca “for his alleged involvement in the preparation of a terrorist scheme aimed at seriously undermining public order,” Morocco’s Central Bureau of Judicial Investigation (BCIJ) said in a statement. For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app. The suspect had carried out “reconnaissance visits to identify certain security checkpoints, with a view to attacking them and using their weapons in terrorist operations,” the BCIJ added. The suspect had reportedly sought to “join terrorist organizations” including those based in sub-Saharan Africa, as well as in Syria and Iraq. In 2003, Casablanca was hit by a dozen suicide bombers, killing 33 people and wounding dozens more. Since then, Morocco has been spared major attacks, but its security services regularly report foiling plots. Since 2002, Moroccan police claim to have dismantled 2,000 “terror cells” and arrested some 3,500 people in cases linked to terror, according to the BCIJ.”
United Kingdom
Evening Standard: British Man Extradited From Spain To Face Far-Right Terror Charges
“A man is due in court charged with terrorism offences after being extradited from Spain. Kristofer Thomas Kearney, 37, a British national based in Alicante, was arrested as part of an investigation into far-right terrorism led by the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command. He is due to appear at the Old Bailey on Friday charged with two counts of disseminating a terrorist publication. Kearney was arrested at an address in Alicante by Spanish Police on March 2, under a Trade and Co-operation Agreement (TaCA) warrant obtained by the Counter Terrorism Command. He was extradited from Spain on Thursday, September 8, and arrested by counter terrorism officers as he arrived back in the UK. He was charged that evening, and first appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court the following day when he was remanded in custody.”
Russia
Reuters: Kremlin Says Nord Stream Incidents Look Like State-Sponsored 'Terrorism'
“The Kremlin said on Thursday that incidents on two major undersea gas pipelines from Russia to Germany look like acts of state-sponsored “terrorism”. The European Union is investigating major leaks in the Gazprom-led (GAZP.MM) Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines under the Baltic Sea and has said it suspects sabotage. “This looks like an act of terrorism, possibly on a state level,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on a daily call. “It is very difficult to imagine that such an act of a terrorism could have happen without the involvement of a state of some kind,” Peskov said. “This is a very dangerous situation which requires an urgent investigation.” The U.S. news channel CNN, citing three sources, reported that European security officials had observed Russian navy support ships and submarines not far from the sites of the Nord Stream leaks. Asked for a comment on the CNN report, Peskov said there had been a much larger NATO presence in the area.”
Southeast Asia
Reuters: Four Shot Dead In Indonesia’s Restive Papua Region
“Four people were shot and killed by an armed rebel group in Indonesia's restive West Papua province, the latest in a string of attacks on civilians, police said on Friday. The West Papua National Liberation Army, which the government has designated as a terrorist organisation, said its members on Thursday night shot people they believed were Indonesian intelligence personnel disguised as road construction workers. "Our troops succeeded in shooting dead four Indonesian intelligence officers disguised as workers," Sebby Sambom, a spokesperson for the rebel group said in a statement, adding that the victims' bodies were still being held by the group. He did not provide evidence to substantiate the claim that the victims were intelligence officers. Indonesia's easternmost provinces of Papua and West Papua have seen a long-simmering independence movement, which has intensified in recent years.”
Technology
GZERO: Future-Proofing The Internet From Radicalization & Extremist Content
“The Christchurch Call to Action, a political summit initiated by New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, gathered during the UN’s General Assembly to renew its commitment to creating a safer digital world. The Summit was formed in 2019 following a massive terror attack in Christchurch that left 51 dead and dozens wounded. The terrorist used social media to livestream the murderous rampage for several minutes, and the video was viewed by thousands before it was removed from the internet. In an interview with GZERO Media, Paul Ash, PM Ardern’s Special Representative on Cyber and Digital, detailed the key issues discussed in the meeting. “The first, how do we respond to crises and keep people safe when the internet is abused by terrorists and violent extremists? Second, how do we think about prevention? Ash continued, “The third thing we looked at in our summit meeting was the question of how the Christchurch Call can remain current. How do we future-proof it as the internet changes into a more immersive environment?” The Summit is aimed at combatting extremism and hate online, and, in particular, gender-based hatred and harassment and attacks on the LGBTQI communities.”
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