Islamist Extremism |  | Islamic State fighter waving a flag while standing on captured government fighter jet in Raqqa, Syria, 2015 - Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group via Getty Images | California Resident Sentenced for Aiding ISIS Fighters - A Canadian national living in San Diego, Calif., Abdullahi Ahmed Abdullahi, 37, was sentenced in federal court to 20 years in prison followed by 36 months of supervised release for conspiring with others to provide material support to ISIS.
- From November 2013 through March 2014, Abdullahi encouraged, aided and financially assisted six North American nationals in traveling to Syria, where they joined ISIS and engaged in armed battles to gain control of the territories and civilian populations within Syria. Read More
French Company Pleads Guilty to Aiding ISIS The French cement company Lafarge SA has pleaded guilty in federal court in New York to paying millions of dollars to the Islamic State and the Nusra Front. Between August 2013 and October 2014, Lafarge funneled $6 million to the two terror organizations to ensure continuation of its cement plant operations in Syria. As part of its plea agreement struck with the U.S. Justice Department, Lafarge will pay $778 million in financial penalties. Read Now | | | | | Alt-Right & Alt-Left Extremism |  | A member of the Proud Boys sells Proud Boys merchandise to raise funds to help those jailed from the January 6th riot - Aimee Dilger/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images | Former Proud Boys Leader Pleads Guilty to Seditious Conspiracy - A member of the Proud Boys, Shawn Price, 28, of Rockaway Township, N.J., pleaded guilty in the District of Columbia for his actions before and during the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
- Price pleaded guilty to interfering with law enforcement officers during a civil disorder.
- Price is to be sentenced on Feb. 9, 2023 and faces a statutory maximum of five years in prison and potential financial penalties. Read More
Pro-Choicers Vandalize Michigan Church Security footage shows three vandals dressed in black approaching the Church of the Resurrection in Lansing, Mich. and scribbling slogans in red paint on the sidewalk. The vandals wrote phrases such as “abort the court” and “death to Christian nationals.” - The pro-choice group Jane’s Revenge has claimed responsibility for at least 18 arson and vandalism attacks on crisis pregnancy centers and other faith-based organizations throughout the U.S. since May.
So far, no arrests have been made for any of these attacks. More than 100 crisis pregnancy centers (CPCs), pro-life organizations and churches have been attacked since the May 2 leak of the Supreme Court draft opinion which overturned Roe v. Wade. Read More Chicago Mayor Defends Decision to Keep Officer Tied to Proud Boys - Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot defended the decision by Chicago Police Supt. David Brown not to fire an officer who lied about his ties to the Proud Boys group.
- The officer, who was not identified in a report by the Inspector General, was suspended for 120 days. Read More
Masked Protester Arrested at Event Featuring Conservative Pundit - A masked individual was wrestled to the ground and handcuffed at an event for political pundit Matt Walsh in Houston, Texas. Walsh was at the University of Houston to speak and screen his documentary, “What is a Woman?”
- In the days leading up to the event, an anarchist group attempted to form a protest to counter what they call Walsh’s “transphobia.” Read More
| | | | | Hate Crime |  | Roy Lashley and Robert Lashley - Citrus County Sheriff's Office via 10 Tampa Bay screenshot | Florida Man Pleads Guilty to Racially Motivated Attack Roy Lashley, 55, of Citrus Springs, Fla., pleaded guilty to a federal hate crime for attacking a Black man because of his actual and perceived race. Lashley and co-defendent Robert Dewayne Lashley, who pleaded guilty for the same crime on Oct. 4, repeatedly used racial slurs while striking the victim with an ax handle.
Lashley faces a maximum term of 10 years imprisonment, three years of mandatory supervised release and a $250,000 fine. Read More Man Charged With Hate Crime in Connection to Attack on Security Guard - Jose Manuel Quezada Jr., 33, faces one count each of attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon and elder abuse after he allegedly attacked a Black security guard in Pomona, Calif.
- The hate crime allegation was filed because Quezada allegedly made racist remarks toward the 74-year-old guard during the attack. Read More
| | | | | Hostile Foreign Influence Operations |  | Chinese President Xi Jinping arrives at the Opening Ceremony of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China on October 16 - Kevin Frayer/Getty Images | FBI Warns Several State Political Parties of Chinese Hackers - The FBI is warning Democratic and Republican state parties that Chinese hackers are scouring their headquarters for vulnerable systems they could potentially hack ahead of midterm elections. Read More
Russian Hackers Shut Down Dozens of State Government Websites - The Russian hackers group Killnet took responsibility for a wave of cyber attacks that took dozens of state government websites offline through denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks. Killnet recently took credit for temporarily taking down websites of multiple U.S. airports. Read More
| | | | | Research & Trends in Extremism |  | Report shows a dramatic increase in terror plots on U.S. critical infrastructure - via 8 ABC Nebraska News | Jump in Plots Against Critical Infrastructure - The National Counterterrorism, Innovation, Technology, and Education Center (NCITE) recently shared a report from September that looks at several extremist groups that target critical infrastructure and noted that there was a dramatic jump in terrorist plots from 2016 to 2022. Read More
Teens are Being Driven to Extremism by Targeted Social Media Content Dana Coester, a professor at the Reed College of Media at West Virginia University, conducted a study of polarization and online extremism. After simulating the internet access of a hypothetical 13-year-old boy for her study, Coester concluded teens and young adult males are being targeted by weaponized social media posts designed to push them toward extremism. Read More | | | QUOTABLE
“Freedom of speech is a principal pillar of a free government; when this support is taken away, the constitution of a free society is dissolved, and tyranny is erected on its ruins. Republics and limited monarchies derive their strength and vigor from a popular examination into the action of the magistrates.”
--Benjamin Franklin
| | | NOTE TO OUR READERS: We have pulled out the salient points of the articles in this newsletter to keep you informed and focused on the most relevant, important and timely news in national security and extremism. While our national security experts stand behind the summary bullets and deem them trustworthy, Clarion Project does not endorse all the views expressed in the articles linked. | | | | |
