“Islamic State claimed responsibility for an attack on Pakistan's embassy in
the Afghan capital Kabul on Friday, via a statement carried by one of the
militant group's affiliated channels on Telegram on Sunday. The embassy came
under attack on Friday and a Pakistani security guard was wounded by gunfire in
what Islamabad called an attempt to assassinate its head of mission, who was
unhurt. Islamic State claimed the attack was carried out by two of its members
armed with “medium and sniper weapons” and was targeting the ambassador and his
guards who were present in the courtyard of the embassy. Taliban authorities
have said they are investigating the attack and that the embassy compound was
targeted by gunfire from a nearby building. Police said they had arrested one
suspect and recovered two firearms. The attack injured at least one guard and
caused damage to the building, the Islamic State said. Pakistan's foreign
office said it had seen the reports of IS's claim of responsibility.
“Independently and in consultation with the Afghan authorities, we are
verifying the veracity of these reports,” it said in a statement, adding the
attack was a reminder of the risk militant activity posed to the region. “We
must act resolutely with all our collective might to defeat this menace,” the
foreign office said.”











<[link removed]>
<[link removed]>



Eye on Extremism


December 5, 2022



Reuters: Islamic State Claims Responsibility For Attack On Pakistani Embassy
In Kabul
<[link removed]>



“Islamic State claimed responsibility for an attack on Pakistan's embassy in
the Afghan capital Kabul on Friday, via a statement carried by one of the
militant group's affiliated channels on Telegram on Sunday. The embassy came
under attack on Friday and a Pakistani security guard was wounded by gunfire in
what Islamabad called an attempt to assassinate its head of mission, who was
unhurt. Islamic State claimed the attack was carried out by two of its members
armed with “medium and sniper weapons” and was targeting the ambassador and his
guards who were present in the courtyard of the embassy. Taliban authorities
have said they are investigating the attack and that the embassy compound was
targeted by gunfire from a nearby building. Police said they had arrested one
suspect and recovered two firearms. The attack injured at least one guard and
caused damage to the building, the Islamic State said. Pakistan's foreign
office said it had seen the reports of IS's claim of responsibility.
“Independently and in consultation with the Afghan authorities, we are
verifying the veracity of these reports,” it said in a statement, adding the
attack was a reminder of the risk militant activity posed to the region. “We
must act resolutely with all our collective might to defeat this menace,” the
foreign office said.”



Associated Press: Antisemitic Celebrities Stoke Fears Of Normalizing Hate
<[link removed]>



“A surge of anti-Jewish vitriol, spread by a world-famous rapper, an NBA star
and other prominent people, is stoking fears that public figures are
normalizing hate and ramping up the risk of violence in a country already
experiencing a sharp increase in antisemitism. Leaders of the Jewish community
in the U.S. and extremism experts have been alarmed to see celebrities with
massive followings spew antisemitic tropes in a way that has been taboo for
decades. Some said it harkens back to a darker time in America when powerful
people routinely spread conspiracy theories about Jews with impunity. Former
President Donald Trump hosted a Holocaust-denying white supremacist at
Mar-a-Lago. The rapper Ye expressed love for Adolf Hitler in an interview.
Basketball star Kyrie Irving appeared to promote an antisemitic film on social
media. Neo-Nazi trolls are clamoring to return to Twitter as new CEO Elon Musk
grants “amnesty” to suspended accounts. “These are not fringe outliers sending
emails from their parents garage or idiots no one has ever heard of. When
influential mainstream cultural, political and even sports icons normalize hate
speech, everyone needs to be very concerned,” said Miami Beach Mayor Dan
Gelber, a leader in South Florida’s Jewish community.”



Syria



NBC News: Syrian Rebels Say Anti-ISIS Operations With The U.S. Have Stopped
And ISIS Fighters May Escape From Prisons And A Refugee Camp
<[link removed]>



“The main rebel group in Syria says its joint military operations with the
U.S. against the Islamic State terrorist group have stopped because of the
threat of a Turkish ground offensive and airstrikes, and it is concerned ISIS
prisoners may escape from the detention facilities where thousands are held. On
Thursday, Pentagon press secretary Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder said that the
anti-ISIS mission in Syria was ongoing. “We do continue to conduct partnered
patrols with the SDF at a reduced number, based on their request to go to a
reduced number,” he said, using the abbreviation for the Syrian Democratic
Forces. But Friday a spokesperson for U.S. Central Command said, “As a result
of the SDF’s pause on all counter-ISIS operations, CENTCOM forces have also
paused all partnered operations against ISIS in Syria.” The spokesperson said
that “patrols at the al-Hol Internally Displaced Persons Camp and detention
facilities continue,” but those are generally instances of U.S. forces driving
around the facilities while en route to meetings. The commander of the SDF,
Gen. Mazloum Abdi, said his group has intelligence that the Turks are building
up forces to prepare for a ground offensive, and warned that all of northern
Syria, which shares a border with Turkey, is in danger. “There will be a war on
all the border,” he told NBC News. The SDF is tracking new movements of ISIS
cells and is concerned a Turkish ground offensive will endanger the security of
ISIS detention facilities and refugee camps in Syria, Mazloum said.”



AFP: US Warns Turkey Against Disrupting Anti-ISIS Mission In Syria
<[link removed]>



“The United States on Friday warned Turkey not to disrupt operations by US
and Kurdish forces against terrorists in Syria, while acknowledging Ankara’s
security concerns in the volatile region. White House National Security Council
spokesman John Kirby said Turkish bombing of Kurdish-controlled areas in
northeast Syria continues. The Turkish government says it is taking military
action in response to a terrorist attack in Istanbul that it blames on Kurdish
groups. The Kurds deny responsibility. “They continue to conduct airstrikes,”
Kirby said, adding there was no evidence yet of a threatened ground operation
across the Turkish-Syrian border, where US troops deploy alongside the
Kurdish-led SDF force. Kirby said that while “Turkey does have a right to
defend itself,” the operations carry a heavy risk. “We recognize their
legitimate security concerns to defend themselves,” he said. “What we don’t
want to see are operations in Syria that, again, could cause civilian
casualties, could cause casualties of our personnel and could distract our SDF
partners from a very real and very important mission ongoing against ISIS,” he
added. Washington does not “want to see anything that would affect our ability
to continue to put the pressure” on ISIS, Kirby said.”



AFP: IS 'Brand' Survives Leader's Death
<[link removed]>



“…The new self-proclaimed caliph seeks to draw legitimacy by claiming
heritage from the prophet's Quraysh tribe — as did all IS leaders before him.
“The Qurashi name is used as a branding for the leader,” Hans-Jakob Schindler,
director of the Counter-Extremism Project think tank, told AFP. “Even if it is
just a made-up name... it is sufficient for the network to function.” After a
meteoric rise in Iraq and Syria in 2014, IS saw its so-called caliphate
collapse, reduced to a network of sleeper cells. In 2019 it was defeated in
Syria — where Hashimi was said to have been killed in October by local
fighters. “Syria is simply not a safe haven for ISIS anymore,” said Schindler.
“They can maintain a cell structure, but it is apparently not safe for
high-ranking personnel there. “If you are killing everyone, in the end, no one
is your ally anymore,” the expert said. Left without a sanctuary or charismatic
leader, IS has lost the capacity it had under founder Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi to
recruit foreigners. And Baghdadi's successors last for increasingly shorter
periods, with the last two leaders perishing without having issued any audio or
video statements. “There is likely pressure building on ISIS... to gain some
momentum, particularly if the group wants to remain relevant,” said Clarke of
Soufan Group.”



Iraq



Associated Press: UN: Iraq Christians Were Victims Of Islamic State War Crimes
<[link removed]>



“Evidence collected in Iraq strengthens preliminary findings that Islamic
State extremists committed crimes against humanity and war crimes against the
Christian community after it seized about a third of the country in 2014, a
U.N. investigative team said in a report circulated Thursday. The report to the
U.N. Security Council said crimes included forcibly transferring and
persecuting Christians, seizing their property, engaging in sexual violence,
enslavement and other “inhumane acts,” such as forced conversions and
destruction of cultural and religious sites. In addition, the team said it has
identified leaders and prominent members of the Islamic State extremist group
who participated in the attack and takeover of three predominantly Christian
towns in the Nineveh plains north of Iraq’s second largest city, Mosul, in July
and August 2014 -- Hamdaniyah, Karamlays and Bartella. It also started
collecting evidence on crimes committed against the Christian community in
Mosul. Islamic State fighters seized Iraqi cities and declared a self-styled
caliphate in a large swath of territory in Syria and Iraq in 2014. The group
was formally declared defeated in Iraq in 2017 following a three-year bloody
battle that left tens of thousands dead and cities in ruins, but its sleeper
cells continue to stage attacks in different parts of Iraq.”



Afghanistan



Associated Press: US Names 4 Militants In Afghanistan, Pakistan 'Terrorists'
<[link removed].>



“The United States has added four top Islamic militants operating in
Afghanistan and Pakistan to its list of “global terrorists,” amid a resurgence
of violence and border tensions in the area. The militant leaders hail from the
Pakistani Taliban and an al-Qaida branch in South Asia. Both militant groups
operate from Afghanistan, but they have hideouts in Pakistan's mountainous
northwest and elsewhere as well. The State Department's announcement on
Thursday comes days after Pakistan's Taliban movement, known as
Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan or TTP, ended a monthslong ceasefire with Pakistan
and resumed attacks across the country. Amid threats from the militants,
Pakistan's Interior Ministry tightened security in public places and mosques on
Friday. The TTP has asked its fighters to target security forces across the
country. The militant group was behind the 2014 attack on a Peshawar school
that killed 147 people, mostly schoolchildren. The State Department said the
terrorist designation of the militants would trigger sanctions against the four
militant commanders who are from the TTP and al-Qaida's South Asian branch. The
statement read that the U.S. was targeting the “threat posed by terrorist
groups operating in Afghanistan, including al-Qa’ida in the Indian Subcontinent
(AQIS) and Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP).” The U.S. would move to prevent
militants from using Afghanistan as “a platform for international terrorism,”
it added.”



Pakistan



Reuters: Ambush Claimed By Pakistani Taliban Kills Three Police Officers In
Northern Pakistan
<[link removed]>



“The Pakistani Taliban on Saturday claimed responsibility for a gun ambush
that killed three police officers in northern Pakistan, the second attack
claimed by the group just days after it announced an end to a cease-fire with
the government. Police carrying out a patrol in Nowshera, a district of
northern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province that borders Afghanistan, came under fire
on Saturday evening, a regional police deputy inspector, Mohammad Ali Gandapur,
told Reuters. He said three police officers were killed and the identity of the
attackers was unknown. The militant group Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP)
claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement. On Monday, the TTP
announced an end to a months-long cease-fire, claiming a suicide attack in the
southern Pakistani city of Quetta two days later that killed four people and
wounded more than 30. The TTP wants to overthrow Pakistan's government and
replace it with a governance system that subscribes to their own harsh
interpretation of Islamic laws. The Afghan Taliban have been facilitating peace
talks between local militants and the government since late last year. In
recent months, the Pakistan army has conducted several operations against the
militants in their strongholds in lawless districts along the Afghan border.”



Middle East



AFP: Gaza Militants Fire Rocket Into Israel Amid West Bank Unrest
<[link removed]>



“Palestinian militants fired a rocket from Gaza into Israel Saturday without
causing any casualties, the army said, as a surge in violence grips the
occupied West Bank. There was no immediate claim for the attack, the first in a
month according to the army. However, one of Gaza's larger armed factions,
Islamic Jihad, had threatened to retaliate after Israeli troops killed two of
its leaders in the West Bank town of Jenin on Thursday. Witnesses said the
Israeli army swiftly riposted by firing on two observation posts east of Gaza
City, operated by the territory's Islamist rulers Hamas. The rocket attack came
as a surge in bloodshed in the occupied West Bank sparked international
criticism of the Israeli army for its use of lethal force against Palestinian
civilians. Criticism has focused on the killing of Ammar Hadi Mufleh, 22, in
disputed circumstances in the town of Huwara, just south of Nablus, on Friday.
United Nations Middle East peace envoy Tor Wennesland said he was “horrified”
by the killing “during a scuffle with an Israeli soldier”. The European Union
said it was “greatly concerned about the increasing level of violence” which
had seen 10 Palestinians killed by Israeli security forces in recent days.
“Such unacceptable facts must be investigated and there must be full
accountability,” EU foreign policy chief Joseph Borell said.”



The Jerusalem Post: Israeli Forces Arrest 7 Terror Suspects In West Bank
<[link removed]>



“Seven wanted men were arrested in the Judea and Samaria region late Saturday
night in a joint mission by the IDF, Shin Bet and Border Police. Operating in
Ein Kiniyye, Dayr 'Amr and Beit Furik, security forces arrested a number of men
wanted in regard to security concerns. Two people were also arrested in the
Binyamin region, another two were arrested in the Yehuda region, and a third
pair was arrested in the area where the Etzion Brigade operates. In the Nablus
Casbah, a vehicle suspected of carrying out an attempted shooting attack on a
military post near the Jit junction last Wednesday was located and confiscated.
Two additional suspects who were thought to have participated in “terrorist
activities,” according to the IDF, were arrested in the Binyamin region. During
the operation, a suspicious vehicle drove full speed at the security forces,
who shot at the vehicle, injuring and arresting the driver per suspect arrest
procedure. A similar incident occurred a short while later, as well. There were
no casualties to Israel's security forces. The arrested wanted persons were
transferred for further investigation by the security forces. The arrests were
carried out as part of Operation Break the Wave, an ongoing operation to arrest
terror suspects to prevent potential atrocities.”



Outlook India: Israel Hits Gaza With Missiles After Palestinian Rocket Firing,
Why Israel-Palestine Tensions Are Rising?
<[link removed]>



“…The group’s [Hamas] ideology blends Islamism and Palestinian nationalism
and seeks the destruction of Israel and the creation of an Islamic state
between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River...PIJ is dedicated to
eradicating Israel and establishing an autonomous Islamic Palestinian state in
the lands currently comprising Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza....Accordingly,
PIJ refuses to negotiate with Israel, rejects a two-state solution to the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and carries out numerous terror attacks against
Israeli targets and interests,” says think tank Counter Extremism Project
(CEP). The employment of rockets by Hamas and PIJ puts disproportionate strain
on Israel as while their rockets are dirt-cheap, the Iron Dome missiles fired
by Israel are very expensive. Over the last decade, Gazan rockets have improved
their range and production. Their affordability means that Israel employs
disproportionate force to counter them. Moreover, since it's harder for Israel
to replenish its Iron Dome missiles, if an overwhelming number of Gazan rockets
are fired at very short intervals, then the Iron Dome system can get
overwhelmed and run out of missiles. Though such a situation has not yet
arisen. “In 2008-2009, Hamas could only strike communities bordering Gaza, a
range of 20 km to 50 km.”



Nigeria



AFP: Gunmen Kidnap Worshippers In Nigeria Mosque Attack
<[link removed]>



“Gunmen abducted 19 Muslim worshippers after attacking a mosque in the
restive northwest of Nigeria, police said Sunday. The attackers stormed the
mosque in Maigamji village, in Katsina state, during evening prayers Saturday
and carried out the kidnappings after shooting and wounding the imam and
another worshipper, said local police spokesman Gambo Isah. “Our men mobilized
and went after the bandits and succeeded in rescuing six of the worshippers
from their abductors, while efforts are underway to free the remaining 13,” he
added. The two people wounded were being treated in the hospital, he added.
Northwest and central Nigeria have been terrorized by criminal gangs locally
known as bandits, who village raids steal cattle, kidnap for ransom and burn
homes after looting supplies. Hostages are usually released after a ransom is
paid to the gangs, which take refuge in the vast Rugu Forest. It straddles four
states in northwest Nigeria, including Katsina. Last month, 15 people were
killed and several others wounded in a series of bandit attacks on villages in
neighboring Kaduna state, say the authorities. Nigerian President Muhammadu
Buhari has been under intense pressure to end the violence before he leaves
office next year at the end of his eight-year tenure in office.”



Sahara Reporters: Nigerian Army Say Troops Killed Boko Haram Terrorists In
Borno, Recovered Gun Trucks, Weapons
<[link removed]>



“The Nigerian Army has said troops of Operation Hadin Kai neutralised some
members of the deadly Boko Haram/Islamic State West African Province terrorist
group. This was made known in a statement on the official Twitter account of
the Nigerian Army on Friday. According to the Army, the terrorists were
neutralised after aggressive clearance operations around Wajiroko-Damboa Road
in Borno State. Items recovered from the militants include gun trucks, arms and
ammunition. “In sustained operations to clear the North East of terrorism,
Troops of Operation Hadin Kai with close air support on 1 December 2022 have
again neutralized several ISWAP/Boko Haram terrorists around Wajiroko-Damboa
road in Borno State. Troops also recovered weapons & gun trucks,” it posted.”



Daily Post Nigeria: Many ISWAP Fighters Killed In Damboa After Pledging
Allegiance To New ISIS Leader
<[link removed]>



“Many Islamic State of the West African Province (ISWAP) terrorists have been
eliminated by troops of 25 Task Brigade, Operation Hadin Kai in Damboa area,
Borno State, northeast Nigeria. The terrorists who had launched a failed attack
some hours after pledging their allegiance to the new ISIS “caliph” Abu
al-Hussein al-Husseini al-Qurashi, met their waterloo in the hands of the
Nigerian troops. It was gathered that unspecified numbers of the terrorists
attacked Wajiroko town in two phantom MRAPs and six Hilux trucks mounted with
Anti Aircraft Guns. DAILY POST learnt that their attack proceeded multiple
mortar bombs they fired from Gubub axis of the town on the military location in
Damboa. “The resilient troops, however, stood their grounds and engaged the
terrorists in a heavy gun battle which lasted for about 40 minutes. “The
terrorists were eventually forced to flee the scene after suffering some
fatalities. “Unknown to the fleeing terrorists, a reinforcement of troops from
Sabon Gari and Damboa led by Brig Gen BO Omopariola, the Brigade Commander 25
Brigade, had already staged an ambush against their escaped route. “The ambush
paid off as the troops neutrialized scores of the terrorists and destroyed two
gun trucks conveying many fighters.”



Somalia



Voice Of America: Somali Military Liberates 4 Strategic Villages From
Al-Shabab Militants
<[link removed]>



“Somalia’s defense ministry says the country’s national army, supported by
local clan militias, has seized control of several strategic villages from
al-Shabab Islamist militants. The ministry acknowledged that several security
personnel were wounded during the army’s recent operations. Abdullahi Ali Anod,
Somalia’s defense ministry spokesman who talked with reporters Saturday in the
country’s capital Mogadishu, said the army, backed by locals, has captured four
strategic villages from the al-Qaida-affiliated Islamist militant group
al-Shabab. The liberated villages are Gulane, Darusalam, Harga-Dhere and Mabah,
located in the Hiran and Middle Shabelle regions. Mabah is the last village in
eastern Hiran that was under control of al-Shabab, according to Somali
state-run news agency Sonna. Anod said six al-Shabab fighters were killed in
the middle Shabelle region, while 10 were killed during a firefight between the
army and the group that took place in the Hiran region. He acknowledged that
three government soldiers were wounded during the recent operations; adding
that they have liberated more than 80 kilometers from al-Shabab. He said two of
the three soldiers wounded have serious injuries.”



Africa



Vice: ‘We Need To Wake Up’: How ISIS Made Africa Its Second Home
<[link removed]>



“The terror alert was as specific as it was alarming. In the upcoming weekend
in one of Johannesburg's wealthiest areas, terrorists were planning an attack
on large gatherings, the alert from the US, the UK and others said. The
unexpected warning shocked people in South Africa. The South African government
too, scrambling, issued advisories of its own and flooded the streets with
police officers. That alert was for the 29th of October. In the end, thick as
the tension was, no attack happened and details of the threat's nature are
virtually non-existent, with US and South African authorities giving little
away. But experts have told VICE World News that information in the alert
indicated something serious and that all fingers point to an unlikely-sounding
perpetrator in South Africa: ISIS. The US must have had “solid evidence” of an
attack, said Martin Ewi, a lead analyst with the Institute for Security Studies
(ISS). Vague as it was, the warning included disturbing details. “This was one
of the most precise alerts; they told you when and where the attack was going
to happen,” Ewi said. “Very few alerts have those kinds of details.” In a
dramatic turn of events, South African authorities first downplayed the threat,
then they accused the US of hoarding intelligence and being too forward, before
turning around again to say the US blew up weeks of undercover work, although
this is uncorroborated. But even as the country went into panic mode, analysts
said it was already infiltrated.”



Australia



AFP: Islamic State Suspect Extradited To Australia, Charged With
Terror-Related Offenses
<[link removed]>



“Australian police charged a high-profile Islamic State suspect with six
terrorism-related offenses Sunday, two days after he was extradited from
Turkey, officials said. Neil Christopher Prakash, 31, was accused of offenses
including engaging in hostile activity overseas, supporting a terrorist
organization, and advocating terrorism, police said. He was charged in
Melbourne by a counter-terrorism team after landing in Australia on Friday
following his extradition, federal police said in a statement. The allegations
carry maximum penalties ranging from five years to life imprisonment. Police
released a video that showed officers in black balaclavas at Melbourne airport
removing Prakash from a plane and escorting him across the tarmac to a waiting
car. Prakash was arrested in Turkey in 2016 after crossing into the country
from Syria. He was sentenced in 2019 to seven years in prison by a Turkish
court, which found him guilty of belonging to a terrorist organization. Prakash
was stripped of his Australian citizenship in 2018. Police have worked
“tirelessly” to bring him before the courts, said Australian Federal Police
Assistant Commissioner Sandra Booth. Authorities estimate about 230 Australians
have traveled to Iraq and Syria to take up arms since 2012 — Prakash being one
of the most prominent examples.”



Europe



Reuters: Sweden Deports Man With Alleged Ties To Kurdish Militant Group
<[link removed]>



“Sweden on Friday deported a Kurdish man with alleged links to Kurdish
militant group the PKK, a government minister told Swedish Television, as
Ankara keeps up pressure on the Nordic country to meet its demands in return
for NATO membership. Mahmut Tat had sought asylum in Sweden in 2015 after being
sentenced in Turkey for six years and 10 months for alleged links to the PKK.
His final asylum application was denied last year by the Swedish Migration
Agency. Swedish Migration Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard did not reply to
requests for comment but told SVT that the government had played no part in the
decision. “It is about a deportation case where an individual has had his
asylum application rejected,” she told SVT. “The government has no role in
ruling on asylum applications.” Turkish state television TRT said Tat was sent
to an Istanbul prison on Saturday. Swedish authorities were not immediately
available for comment. Sweden and Finland applied in May to join NATO in
response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, but ran into objections from Turkey,
which accused the two countries of harbouring militants from the banned
Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and other groups.”



The Guardian: Trial Of 10 Accused In 2016 Brussels Terror Attack Begins On
Monday
<[link removed]>



“Ten men will go on trial accused of playing a role in the Brussels terror
attacks of 2016 that killed 32 people and injured hundreds in what was
Belgium’s worst peacetime atrocity. The trial, taking place in a specially
constructed court in Nato’s former headquarters in the north of the Belgian
capital, begins proceedings on Monday, more than six and a half years after the
attacks on Brussels airport and Maelbeek metro station on 22 March 2016. The 10
accused include Salah Abdeslam, who last year was found guilty of murder and
sentenced to life in prison in separate legal proceedings for his role in the
Paris attacks of 2015, which killed 130 people and injured more than 490.
Abdeslam is among five of the accused who have been convicted in France over
the Paris attacks. Also in the dock in Belgium is Mohamed Abrini, who is
alleged to be the “man in the hat” caught on camera with two suicide bombers
who blew themselves up in the attack on Brussels airport. Prosecutors say
Abrini left a bomb in the departure hall and fled the scene. Police and rescue
teams outside the Maelbeek metro station after the 2016 attacks. Abrini, who
admitted driving bombers to the scene of the Paris attacks, was last year
sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of 22 years for his role in the
shootings in the French capital.”



Technology



The New York Times: Hate Speech’s Rise On Twitter Is Unprecedented,
Researchers Find
<[link removed]>



“Before Elon Musk bought Twitter, slurs against Black Americans showed up on
the social media service an average of 1,282 times a day. After the billionaire
became Twitter’s owner, they jumped to 3,876 times a day. Slurs against gay men
appeared on Twitter 2,506 times a day on average before Mr. Musk took over.
Afterward, their use rose to 3,964 times a day. And antisemitic posts referring
to Jews or Judaism soared more than 61 percent in the two weeks after Mr. Musk
acquired the site. These findings — from the Center for Countering Digital
Hate, the Anti-Defamation League and other groups that study online platforms —
provide the most comprehensive picture to date of how conversations on Twitter
have changed since Mr. Musk completed his $44 billion deal for the company in
late October. While the numbers are relatively small, researchers said the
increases were atypically high. The shift in speech is just the tip of a set of
changes on the service under Mr. Musk. Accounts that Twitter used to regularly
remove — such as those that identify as part of the Islamic State, which were
banned after the U.S. government classified ISIS as a terror group — have come
roaring back. Accounts associated with QAnon, a vast far-right conspiracy
theory, have paid for and received verified status on Twitter, giving them a
sheen of legitimacy.”



The Wall Street Journal: Kanye West Suspended From Twitter After Swastika Tweet

<[link removed]>



“Twitter Inc. again suspended Kanye West’s account after the musician and
designer posted a swastika in a tweet that the social-media platform’s owner,
Elon Musk, said violated its rules. Mr. West, who now legally goes by Ye and
had recently returned from a previous Twitter suspension, on Thursday posted a
picture of a swastika merged with the Star of David. Asked on Twitter by a user
to “fix Kanye please,” Mr. Musk replied: “I tried my best. Despite that, he
again violated our rule against incitement to violence. Account will be
suspended.” Mr. West’s account then began displaying a message saying it was
suspended, with no tweets visible. Mr. West later posted on Truth Social,
former President Donald Trump’s social-media platform, a screenshot showing a
text conversation purportedly between Mr. Musk and him. The screenshot showed
him asking Mr. Musk, “Who made you the judge,” and Mr. Musk replying with the
beginning of the “Our Father” prayer. The screenshot also included the
suspension notification that Mr. West received from Twitter, saying his account
would return to full functionality in less than 12 hours. Mr. West, Mr. Musk
and Twitter couldn’t be reached for comment. Mr. Musk has described himself as
a free-speech absolutist and has said Twitter generally should intervene only
to comply with local laws.”



Homeland Security Today: TamTam Deletes Channels Promoting Neo-Nazi
Accelerationism And Terror
<[link removed]>



“Following a report by the Counter Extremism Project (CEP), TamTam, a
Russia-based messenger platform, has removed 18 channels endorsing neo-Nazi
accelerationism and acts of terrorism. The channels posted bomb-making
instructions and encouraged other activities meant to create “a climate of
anxiety” and fear. CEP reported the channels to the communications app, citing
the platform’s regulations that prohibit users from promoting and calling “for
violence and cruelty, committing suicide and other illegal and immoral acts,”
and promoting “extremism (or) terrorism” related to “ethnical or national
identity, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, religious opinions, age,
limited physical or mental abilities or diseases.” The successful effort with
TamTam follows CEP’s success in preventing sales of a neo-Nazi edition of the
infamous antisemitic book The International Jew by Barnes & Noble. The channels
removed by TamTam posted guides on how to make explosives, the manifestos of
several white supremacist mass shooters; videos from several neo-Nazi groups
including the Atomwaffen Division, the National Socialist Order, The Base, and
Feuerkrieg Division; a recently released propaganda video that encourages acts
of terrorism and praises individuals who have committed acts of white
supremacist violence; and a neo-Nazi accelerationist book that calls for lone
actor violence, workplace violence, attacks on infrastructure, law enforcement,
politicians, people of color, Jews, Muslims, Sikhs, Latinos, and LGBTQ+ people.
The book also includes information on making homemade bombs, conducting
surveillance, and other information helpful in committing attacks.”



The Counter Extremism Project depends on the generosity of its supporters. If
you value what we do, please consider making a donation.

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