CNN: FBI Says It Has ‘Credible Information Of A Broad Threat’ To Synagogues In New Jersey
“The FBI in Newark, New Jersey, said Thursday afternoon it has received “credible information of a broad threat to synagogues” in the state, according to a tweet from the office. “We ask at this time that you take all security precautions to protect your community and facility. We will share more information as soon as we can. Stay alert. In case of emergency call police,” the post said. In a second tweet, the agency said it was taking a “proactive measure” with that warning, while “investigative processes are carried out.” An online posting with antisemitic comments in a forum that is frequented by extremists is what prompted the FBI’s alert, a law enforcement source told CNN. While no specific target, timing or plan was mentioned, the nature of the post created enough concern on the part of the FBI that the agency decided to put a general warning out of an abundance of caution, the source said.”
United States
CNN: Justice Department Rests In Its Historic Seditious Conspiracy Case Against Oath Keepers
“Federal prosecutors rested their case on Thursday against five alleged leaders of the far-right Oath Keepers militia group, ending the initial phase of the first seditious conspiracy trial in over a decade. Over four weeks, government witnesses – including several FBI agents, US Capitol Police officers, current and former members of the Oath Keepers and a representative from Facebook who testified about social media messages celebrating the violence – testified to back up the Justice Department’s case that the five defendants plotted to stop the electoral college count on January 6, 2021. According to prosecutors, defendants Stewart Rhodes, Kelly Meggs, Jessica Watkins, Kenneth Harrelson and Thomas Caldwell planned for an armed rebellion long before the US Capitol riot. Members of the group attended several other rallies in DC as “dry runs,” prosecutors say, and took action when the moment finally presented itself on January 6, going with the crowd to storm the Capitol. All five alleged members of the Oath Keepers have pleaded not guilty and will present evidence in their defense in the coming weeks. Some of the defendants have suggested they will testify in their own defense, including Rhodes, a Yale Law School graduate who founded the far-right extremist group. In presenting their case, prosecutors largely relied on the group’s own alleged chat messages on encrypted apps and their planning in the lead-up to January 6 – which their leader Rhodes allegedly saw as a hard constitutional deadline to stop Joe Biden from becoming president.”
Iran
Reuters: Iran Celebrates 1979 U.S. Embassy Takeover Amid Anti-Government Protests
“Iran held state-sponsored annual rallies on Friday marking the 1979 seizure of the U.S. embassy in Tehran, as the clerical establishment that has ruled since then battles nationwide protests calling for its downfall. Radical students cemented the Islamic Revolution by storming the embassy soon after the fall of the U.S.-backed Shah, and 52 Americans were held hostage there for 444 days. The two countries have been enemies ever since and, as Iranian authorities on Friday urged security forces to swiftly stamp out anti-government protests that have spread to all layers of society, new bilateral tensions surfaced. Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi criticised Joe Biden, a day after the U.S. president vowed to "free Iran". Images broadcast on state television showed anti-American demonstrations attended by tens of thousands of people across the country on the "National Day of Fighting Global Arrogance", while songs called for "Death to America" and described Iran's arch-foe as a manifestation of Satan.”
Pakistan
CBS News: Imran Khan, Former Pakistan Leader And Cricket Star, Shot In “Clear Assassination Attempt”
“Pakistan's cricket star-turned prime minister Imran Khan was shot on Thursday as an assailant opened fire on his vehicle in an apparent assassination attempt. Representatives for the ex-premier told CBS News he was hit in the foot and or the lower leg, and his injuries were not life-threatening. He was transported to a hospital in Lahore for treatment. About a half-dozen other members of Khan's entourage also sustained injuries in the attack, which the senior vice president of Khan's political party, PTI, called “a clear assassination attempt.” “If the shooter had not been stopped by people there, the entire PTI leadership would have been wiped out,” Fawad Chaudhry told the Reuters news agency. Khan, ousted in the spring as prime minister, has been conducting a long campaign-protest trip from Lahore to Islamabad, with his vehicle convoy stopping in several cities along the way. The shooting happened in Punjab province's Wazirabad, about halfway between the two bigger cities. People in the crowds that had gathered to see Khan quickly apprehended the shooter and handed him over to authorities. The purpose of Khan's march is to call on the government to hold early elections. In August, Pakistani police filed terrorism charges against Khan, a divisive figure who was ousted from the country's top job in April with a no-confidence vote by opposition parties.”
Middle East
Associated Press: 4 Palestinians Killed In Flare-Up Of Violence As Israel Counts Votes
“Israeli forces killed at least four Palestinians in separate incidents on Thursday, including one who had stabbed a police officer in east Jerusalem and three others in Israeli raids in the occupied West Bank. The violence flared as Israel tallied the final votes in national elections held this week, with former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expected to lead a comfortable majority backed by far-right allies. Israeli troops operating in the Jenin refugee camp in the West Bank, a militant stronghold, killed at least two Palestinians, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. The Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad said one of those killed was a local commander. Residents said he was killed while at the butcher, where he was preparing meat ahead of his wedding this weekend. The army said the militant, Farouk Salameh, was wanted in a number of shooting attacks on Israeli security forces, including the killing of a police officer last May. It said Salameh was killed after opening fire at soldiers, fleeing the scene and pulling out a gun. Earlier Thursday, the Palestinian Health Ministry said a Palestinian man was killed by Israeli fire in the occupied West Bank. Israeli police said it happened during a raid in the territory and alleged the man threw a firebomb at the forces. Late Thursday, Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip launched a rocket into southern Israel, setting off air-raid sirens in the area. The army said the rocket appeared to have been intercepted.”
Nigeria
Daily Post Nigeria: Boko Haram: Troops Kill 44 Terrorists, Capture 50
“Nigeria’s fight against insurgency and non-state actors recorded major victories in the past two weeks with troops of Operations Hadin Kai and Hadarin Daji neutralising at least 44 terrorists while over 50 others were arrested in North West and North East regions of the country according to the information released by the Defence Headquarters. Major General Musa Danmadami, Director, Defence Media Operations, who made the disclosure in Abuja on Thursday, November 3, 2022, at the bi-weekly news briefing on the operations of the armed forces reported that troops of Operation Hadin Kai in the North East had, between October 20 and November 2, captured 27 suspected Boko Haram and Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP) terrorists and neutralised 19. Danmadami said that the troops also recovered a large cache of arms, ammunition of different categories, and other logistics supplies during the period. He added that an air interdiction mission was conducted on a terrorist convoy along Tunbum Aliyu, near Lake Chad, a terrorist location Southwest of Maiduguri. “During the period in focus, a total of 145 Boko Haram terrorists and their families comprising 30 male adults, 33 female adults and 82 children surrendered to troops at different locations within the North East theatre of operation,” Danmadami said.”
Daily Post Nigeria: Terror Alert: Nigerians Express Distrust, Anger Against Government
“Many Nigerians, especially residents of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, have yet to overcome the palpable tension that gripped them over the terror alert issued by some of the western countries. DAILY POST reports that the worsening security situation in the country took a new turn last week when Ireland, Canada, Australia, and other countries issued travel advisories to their citizens to depart Nigeria. In the tension-soaked alert, the United States, alongside other western countries warned of a possible terrorist attack in the nation’s capital, saying the terrorists are aiming at government facilities, places of worship, schools, among others. Following the terror alert, some government and private establishments have been closing down operations over the fear of attack by the daredevil terrorist that have, over the years, kept the country in captivity. President Muhammadu Buhari had, in the wake of the security alert, advised the nation’s security establishment and citizens to continue to be vigilant and careful with security, saying it is essential to avoid panic. Buhari in a State House press statement signed by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu urged citizens to remain calm, citing the recent changes in travel advice from the US and UK governments, that it should not be a cause for panic.”
Somalia
Associated Press: Police Say Explosion In Somalia's Capital Kills 2 Students
“Police in Somalia say at least two people have been killed and five others wounded by a roadside explosion that hit a vehicle carrying students in the Dayniile district of Mogadishu. “Those wounded include people traveling with the students, and others were passersby,” said police spokesman Sadiq Doodishe, who said the students killed were returning home from school Thursday. “This incident and several others show that al-Shabab targets people indiscriminately.” No group has claimed responsibility for the blast yet. The al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab often carries out attacks in Somalia's capital. The extremist group claimed responsibility for two vehicle bombs that exploded on Saturday and killed more than 100 people at a busy junction in the capital. Al-Shabab said it targeted the education ministry.”
Mali
The North Africa Post: Mali, Burkina Faso Pledge To Jointly Wage War On Terrorism
“Mali and Burkina Faso agreed Wednesday to jointly confront terrorism and strengthen cooperation between the two countries in the areas of security and defense, Burkina Faso leader Captain Ibrahim Traoré told media as he visited his Malian counterpart Assimi Goita. “The most important thing for us in the current situation is the security challenge, so with these people, we came to discuss how to strengthen our military cooperation and better conduct our operations and secure the population. This is the main objective of the visit,” Traore told media after meeting Goita. “We have decided to strengthen our bilateral cooperation in security and defense,” he added. The leader of transition arrived in Bamako Wednesday for one-day visit and his office said that the trip, his first since ascending to power in September following a coup, aims to intensify the armed struggle against terrorist groups that plague both nations and to strengthen the Ouagadougou-Bamako axis. Last month a national dialogue vested Traore with power and made him leader of the transition for 24 months. Both Mali and Burkina Faso are dogged by terror and armed groups’ activities.”
United Kingdom
Daily Mail: In The Grip Of A Risk-Averse, Buck-Passing Paralysis, Our Emergency Services Have Lost Their Sense Of Purpose, Writes Former Prison Governor Professor IAN ACHESON
“Britain has witnessed many terrorist atrocities in recent years, but the bombing of the Manchester Arena in 2017 stands out. On that terrible night, the innocent joy of young concert-goers attending a performance by pop star Ariana Grande suddenly gave way to butchery and horror as Salman Abedi, a Libyan-born Islamist, detonated a massive explosive device laden with shrapnel in his rucksack. Altogether, 22 innocent people were killed and more than 1,000 injured. But what has compounded the country’s shock at this incident is the patently inadequate response of the emergency services, whose misjudgments, hesitations and poor leadership, it emerged later, may have heightened the grim death toll. Paralysed by excessive caution and crippled by misapplied procedures, the police, fire and ambulance services badly let down the victims that night. When these organisations should have been at the heart of the action helping to save lives, they were lingering on the sidelines.”
Technology
NE Global: Cryptocurrencies: The New Age Of Terror Financing
“Technological advances have changed the way we combat terrorism in the modern world, but these developments have also allowed violent extremists and terrorists to exploit a rapidly changing landscape for their own nefarious gains. Historically, terrorist financing included donations, the misuse of non-profit organisations and criminal acts such as kidnapping, theft or the illicit drug trade and more recently, the exploitation of natural resources. However, with the growing adoption of new technologies, the misuse of cryptocurrencies by violent extremist groups and individuals has emerged as a new and additional financing technology. Cryptocurrencies provide an alternative method of payment using encrypted algorithms. The system is entirely decentralized and exists outside of government control on blockchain technology, the digital ledger that logs each transaction and is duplicated and circulated across computers. This peer-to-peer network offers enhanced levels of anonymity for the sender and receiver, a very appealing prospect for extremists. So-called “anonymity enhancing technologies” such as mixers and tumblers have also been identified by the Financial Action Task Force as a “high risk” to terrorist financing. These applications obfuscate transaction paths and hinder investigations attempting to connect crypto assets to violent extremists and terrorists.”
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