Eye on Extremism
October 27, 2022
CNN: 15 Killed, 40 Injured In Terrorist Attack Claimed By ISIS In Iran
“At least 15 people were killed and 40 others were injured Wednesday in a “terrorist attack” at the Shahcheragh Shrine in the city of Shiraz, southern Iran, according to state-run media and Iranian officials. Two children were among the victims, according to state-run Press TV. Iranian security forces have arrested two of the suspected attackers, and a manhunt is underway to capture a third, state news said. The terror group ISIS has claimed responsibility for the attack, releasing a statement through its affiliated Amaq news agency that said one of its members had “targeted groups of Sunni refusal infidels inside the shrine with his machine gun, causing the death of tens of them.” Nour News Agency, which is affiliated with Iran’s top security body, said the suspects were foreign nationals. Wednesday evening is one of the busiest times for the shrine, reported the state-run IRNA, and eyewitnesses said an attacker was in a car before targeting worshippers at its entrance. The governor of Fars province said that “the terrorist first targeted the servant and guard of the shrine, and intended to attack the congregational evening prayers, but one of the servants shut the door on him,” state news said quoting the governor.”
Reuters: Burkina Faso Not Planning To Hire Russian Fighters Like Mali - U.S. Diplomat
“Burkina Faso's interim President Ibrahim Traore has assured U.S. diplomats that he has no intention of inviting Russian Wagner forces to fight militants in the country, U.S. Under Secretary for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland said on Wednesday. There has been concern that Burkina Faso might follow the lead of neighbouring Mali, which late last year hired mercenary fighters from Russia's Wagner group to help its army fight Islamist insurgents. Security has deteriorated since Wagner entered Mali, rights abuses have been reported and United Nations peacekeepers have been squeezed out, said Nuland, who has just returned to the United States from a West Africa tour. "We had a chance to sit with interim President Traore and his leadership team, including his defence minister. He was unequivocal in saying that only Burkinabe will defend their country. They have no intention of inviting Wagner," she said at a digital media briefing. Jihadist groups - some with links to al Qaeda and Islamic State - have been waging an insurgency in the Sahel region south of the Sahara over the past decade, gaining ground despite the presence of foreign troops and U.N. peacekeepers.”
United States
Vice: Neo-Nazi ‘Building White Ethnostate’ in Maine Now Working With Local Extremist Group
“…Pohlhaus published video to Telegram of himself at the flash mob in Lewiston and another after, which were both obtained by VICE News through the Counter Extremism Project—a not-for-profit terrorism watchdog based in New York City. In the first video, he is clearly seen walking with other NSC-131 members, while in the second he makes a veiled threat to the Somali community of the city, demanding them to leave “my state” and adding “you don’t want to wait, until Mainers give us the greenlight.” “Nah, I just support those guys and offer a helping hand to the community wherever and whenever” said Pohlhaus via text, confirming his presence with the neo-Nazi group NSC-131 at the march, but clarified that he wasn’t a member of the group. The Anti-Defamation League has labeled NSC an extremist organization.”
AFP: Three Convicted Of Terrorism For Aiding Plot To Kidnap Us Governor
“Three members of a far-right US militia group on Wednesday were found guilty of domestic terrorism charges including providing support to people who plotted to kidnap and kill Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer. The court action comes two months after two militia members were convicted of conspiring to abduct Whitmer and detonate a bomb over the tough Covid-19 pandemic restrictions she imposed on the northern state. They were among six people arrested in October 2020 following an FBI sting operation that uncovered the plot. “Today, three defendants were found guilty of material support for terrorism, gang membership, and possession of a weapon while committing a felony in support of the plot to kidnap and kill me,” Whitmer, a Democrat, said on Twitter shortly after the convictions were announced by Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel. “No threat, no plot, no rhetoric will break my belief in the goodness and decency of our people. And these verdicts are further proof that violence and threats have no place in our politics,” Whitmer added. Joseph Morrison, Paul Bellar and Pete Musico -- all from Michigan and described as members of the Wolverine Watchmen -- face up to 20 years in prison and $20,000 fines, the attorney general said in a statement. Sentencing is scheduled for December 15.”
Axios: Extremist Groups Are Going Local To Disrupt The Midterms
“As Election Day draws near, mayors and police chiefs across the country are getting a new warning: Extremists have jettisoned their nationwide election intimidation strategy in favor of local efforts focused on neighborhood ballot boxes. Why it matters: Groups such as the Proud Boys and the Oath Keepers are looking to sway the upcoming midterms in favor of their preferred candidates by signing up as poll workers and drop-box watchers. Driving the news: The U.S. Conference of Mayors held an event this week warning of decentralized election interference efforts targeting local voters, candidates and election workers. “We've seen them dismantle some of their nationwide organizations,” said Mary McCord, executive director of the Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection and a former Justice Department prosecutor. “So the Proud Boys dismantle nationally in favor of state chapters — the Three Percenters did the same,” she told the mayors. The change began after the 2020 election and grew more pronounced after the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol attack. State of play: “We're seeing similar types of threats today” as in the 2020 elections, McCord said — but now the attacks are coming from a “very ground-up, localized effort.” For example: In 50 out of 67 Pennsylvania counties, election chiefs have left because of threats, harassment and intimidation against them and their families, McCord said.”
Iran
Reuters: Iran Will Retaliate After Attack On Shrine, Says Revolutionary Guard Commander
“Iran will retaliate after an attack claimed by Islamic State on a shrine that killed 15 people, the commander of the country's elite Revolutionary Guards said on Wednesday The assault will add pressure on the government which has faced relentless demonstrations by people from all layers of society since the death in police custody of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish woman, on Sept. 16. "We firmly declare: the fire of revenge of the people of Iran will finally catch up with them and punish them for their shameful deeds," Hossein Salami was quoted as saying by the semi-official Tasnim news agency. Iranian officials said they had arrested a gunman who carried out the attack at the Shah Cheragh shrine in the city of Shiraz. State media blamed "takfiri terrorists" - a label Tehran uses for hardline Sunni Muslim militants such as Islamic State. Islamic State, which once posed a security threat across the Middle East, has claimed previous violence in Iran, including deadly twin attacks in 2017 that targeted parliament and the tomb of the Islamic Republic's founder, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.”
Turkey
Reuters: Turkey Detains Medical Group Head On 'Terrorist Propaganda' Charge
“Turkish police detained the head of the Turkish Medical Association (TTB), Sebnem Korur Fincanci, on Wednesday for allegedly “spreading terrorist group propaganda”, the TTB and state media said. The state-owned Anadolu news agency said an investigation was launched over statements Fincanci made to Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militant group-linked media last week, commenting on alleged chemical weapons' use by the Turkish armed forces. The TTB described her arrest as a “political lynching” and said it was the final stage of pressure exerted by authorities on the medical group and its leaders. It demanded that she be released immediately after her statement is taken. “We will continue the struggle to protect democracy, peace, the independence of science and the freedom of expression of scientists, standing up for the TTB and Dr Sebnem Korur Fincanci,” the TTB said in a statement. President Tayyip Erdogan told reporters last week the armed forces had never used chemical weapons and that legal action would be taken against anyone who made such accusations. His comments came after media close to the PKK published videos that they said showed chemical weapons being used by the Turkish army against the PKK in northern Iraq.”
Middle East
AFP: Israel Detains Alleged Palestinian Militants In West Bank
“Israel on Wednesday detained three alleged members of the Lions' Den militant group in the occupied West Bank, the army said, including the brother of a key Palestinian militant. The arrest of Muhammad al-Nabulsi and two others in Nablus comes a day after five Palestinians were killed during an Israeli military operation in the city. “Muhammad Al-Nabulsi was suspected of possessing weapons, manufacturing explosive devices and involvement in the 'Lions' Den' terrorist group,” the army said in a statement. His brother Ibrahim al-Nabulsi, nicknamed “The Lion of Nablus”, was shot dead by Israeli forces in August and has since become a folk hero among Palestinian youth. The Lions' Den has emerged in recent months alongside a sharp rise in raids by Israeli forces in the northern West Bank. The three arrests on Wednesday follow the killing on Tuesday of Wadih al-Houh, described by Israel as the head of the Lions' Den, and four other Palestinians in Nablus. A further 20 Palestinians were wounded in the Israeli operation, the Palestinian health ministry said. In addition to regular raids, the Israeli army has imposed additional checkpoints around Nablus over the past two weeks which have severely impeded daily life. The closures follow the killing of an Israeli soldier in the area on October 11, three days after a military policewoman was shot dead in Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem. So far this month 25 Palestinians have been killed in east Jerusalem and the West Bank, territories occupied by Israel since the 1967 Six-Day War.”
Somalia
Voice Of America: Two ISIS Militants Executed In Mogadishu
“Somali officials on Wednesday executed two ISIS militants convicted for carrying out assassinations on behalf of the al-Shabab terrorist group, marking the second execution of Islamist militants in a week. The executions are part of the Somali government’s all-out war on the militants. The two men went before a firing squad at Mogadishu’s General Kahiye Police Academy after a military appellate court upheld a lower court ruling to execute the convicted militants. According to court papers, Aden Mohamed Ali Mohamud first joined Al-Shabab in 2010 but later defected to ISIS in 2015, while Mohamed Ali Mohamed Farah joined ISIS after watching the group's propaganda via encrypted messages on the social media app Telegram. Military prosecutor General Abdullahi Kamey told the court that the two were involved in a spate of killings of civilians and government officials in central Somalia and the capital Mogadishu. Professor Abdiwahab Abdisamad, director of the Institute for Horn of Africa Strategic Studies, told VOA the executions were the right step for Somalia’s national security. “Both al-Shabab and ISIS are enemy of Somali state,” Abdisamad said. “The government must protect the lives and the property of the people of Somalia.”
Mali
Human Rights Watch: Mali: Coordinated Massacres By Islamist Armed Groups
“Islamist armed groups in Mali have killed hundreds of people and forced tens of thousands to flee their villages during apparently systematic attacks since March 2022, Human Rights Watch said today. Malian security forces and United Nations peacekeepers should bolster their presence in the affected regions, ramp up protection patrols, and help authorities provide justice for victims and their families. Since early in the year, Islamist armed groups aligned with the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS) have attacked dozens of villages and massacred scores of civilians in Mali’s vast northeast regions of Ménaka and Gao, which border Niger. These attacks have largely targeted ethnic Dawsahak, a Tuareg ethnic group. “Islamist armed groups in northeast Mali have carried out terrifying and seemingly coordinated attacks on villages, massacring civilians, looting homes, and destroying property,” said Jehanne Henry, senior Africa adviser at Human Rights Watch. “The Malian government needs to do more to protect villagers at particular risk of attack and provide them greater assistance.” Between May and August, Human Rights Watch interviewed 30 witnesses to attacks between March and June on 15 villages in Ménaka and Gao regions. The witnesses described a pattern of heavily armed men on motorcycles and in other vehicles surrounding their village, shooting indiscriminately, summarily executing men and other villagers, and looting and destroying property.”
Africa
Bloomberg: Us Embassy Says Johannesburg May Be Terrorist Target
“One of South Africa’s richest suburbs may be the target of a terrorist attack, according to an alert posted on the US Embassy’s website. “The US government has received information that terrorists may be planning to conduct an attack targeting large gatherings of people at an unspecified location in the greater Sandton area” in Johannesburg this weekend, the embassy said in the statement. “There is no further information regarding the timing, method, or target of the potential attack.” The embassy has advised its staff to avoid crowds of people and other large public gatherings in the area over the coming weekend. While South Africa has high levels of crime, Johannesburg -- the nation’s biggest city and financial hub -- hasn’t experienced a mass attack in decades. Gauteng police spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Mavela Masondo referred queries to police ministry spokeswoman Lirandzu Themba, who didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment sent by text message. Islamic State has previously threatened to carry out attacks on South Africa for its involvement in a counter-insurgency operation in northeastern Mozambique, where the Islamist militants have been carrying out attacks since 2017. The nation is among members of the Southern African Development Community, a 16-member economic bloc, that deployed forces last year to help the Mozambican government quell the violence. The alert didn’t give information on groups that may be targeting the area.”
The North Africa Post: Morocco Foils Another Terror Plot, Captures 5 Jihadists
“Moroccan authorities announced on Wednesday the arrest of five jihadists who were preparing terrorist attacks in the country. Aged between 20 and 45, members of the ISIS cell were active in the “Habata Benmansour” village in Kenitra, Sidi Yahya Zaer (near Rabat), Dchira in Inzegane Ait Melloul, commune of Bouaboud (province of Chichaoua). All the five men were planning to carry out separately attacks using explosives targeting strategic sites, law enforcement agents and security institutions in the kingdom. The police searched their premises and found a rifle, ammunition, bladed weapons and digital materials. The preliminary probe showed that some of the nabbed extremists were attempting to make explosive devices. The dismantling of this cell shows that Morocco is still targeted by terrorist networks seeking to undermine the country’s peace and stability. Morocco has developed a comprehensive counterterrorism strategy which aims at addressing different components of the terrorist threat through security, socio-economic development policies as well as supporting the religious field. The strategy also includes vigilant security measures, regional and international cooperation and terrorist counter-radicalization policies.”
Canada
Reuters: Canada Police Arrest Syria Returnee On Terrorism-Related Charges
“Canadian police said on Wednesday they had arrested a woman on her return to Canada after 5 years in detention by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) for allegedly working for the Islamic State. Oumaima Chouay, 27, was arrested at the Montreal-Trudeau airport Tuesday night and charged with four terrorism-related offences, including “participation in activity of terrorist group,” the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) in Quebec said in a statement. Chouay left Canada in 2014 and was suspected of participating in “terrorist activities” in the name of Islamic State before her arrest by the SDF in November 2017, police said. A representative for Chouay could not immediately be found for comment. She was one of two women returning from Syria. The other, Kimberly Polman, 50, arrived in Montreal Wednesday morning and was also subsequently arrested, her lawyer Lawrence Greenspon said. Polman was not facing criminal charges, her lawyer said. The RCMP in British Columbia, where Polman is from, did not respond to multiple emails and phone calls seeking comment. Canada's foreign ministry confirmed four Canadians - two children and two women - had been repatriated from northeast Syria, and thanked the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria for its cooperation and the United States for assisting in the operation.”
CBC: Crown To Seek 'Terrorism Peace Bond' Against B.C. Woman Who Married ISIS Fighter
“A provincial court judge will hold a bail hearing Thursday morning for a B.C. woman who returned to Canada this week after years spent in Syria as the bride of an ISIS fighter. Kimberly Polman made a brief appearance in Chilliwack provincial court, about 100 kilometres east of Vancouver, late Wednesday afternoon — hours after police arrested her on her arrival in Montreal under a section of the Criminal Code designed to keep people from participating in terrorism-related activities. Polman has been detained for the past three years at al-Roj Syrian detention camp for families of ISIS fighters. She travelled to Syria in 2015 after marrying an ISIS fighter online and has said she was in a “terrible place” at the time. She told the judge she was “extremely ill” and had expected to be taken directly into medical care on her return to Canada. Instead, she was remanded to a jail cell for the night. “It was expected that I would go to hospital this evening,” she told the judge. “I've been travelling now on red eye flights for three days.” Federal Crown prosecutor Ryan Carrier said the Crown will be applying for what the judge referred to as a “terrorism peace bond” against Polman in a hearing that is expected to take a number of weeks. In the meantime, he said the Crown believes Polman can be released on a strict set of conditions meant to ensure the safety of the public while those proceedings play themselves out. “But ... it can't be that Ms. Polman just says, 'Well I'll do whatever it takes to get out,'“ Carrier said.”
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