Eye on Extremism
December 6, 2022
The Jerusalem Post: 50th Anniversary Of 1972 Munich Terror Attacks Commemorated In Brussels
“The Israeli embassy in Brussels held an event prior to the 50th anniversary of the Munich terrorist attack in collaboration with IMAJ, a Jewish organization established to preserve Jewish tradition and culture through films. As part of the event, the film “After Munich” was screened in a movie theatre in the center of Brussels. The film, directed by Francine Zuckerman, a Canadian director, is about the aftermath of the Munich Olympic massacre of eleven Israeli athletes in 1972 and how the event changed four women’s lives forever. The film deals with the place of the media in the coverage of terrorist events, the long-term implications of the event, and the importance of its memory. The event was open to the general public and was attended by German ambassadors to Belgium and the European Union, as well as representatives of the royal family. Israel’s ambassador to Belgium and Luxembourg, Idit Rosenzweig-Abu, spoke about the involvement of the same Black September terrorist organization just a few months before Munich in the hijacking of a Belgian plane with 97 people in it. The ambassador spoke about the choice of the Olympics, an event that marks the connection of cultures and the countries of the world as a theater for the terrible attack that represents the exact opposite. The hall was filled to capacity, and the audience showed great interest.”
Associated Press: Congo Govt Raises Toll From Attack In East To More Than 270
“Congo’s government dramatically increased the death toll from a massacre last week they blamed on M23 rebels, saying Monday that 270 people had been killed in an attack that broke a fragile cease-fire agreement. M23’s chairman challenged the figure and accused Congo’s government of creating a diversion from other atrocities in the region that he says have been committed by government soldiers and their allies. Government spokesman Patrick Muyaya said Monday that the government was opening an official inquiry into what happened in Kishishe, a village located about 70 kilometers (43 miles) from the regional capital of Goma. “Our justice minister is currently at The Hague in the Netherlands and has already referred the matter to the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court so that he can investigate the massacres in Kishishe,” Muyaya said. “We are asking the population to be calm and that these M23s will pay for these attacks.” The Congolese government initially accused the M23 rebels and Rwandan defense forces of killing 50 people in Kishishe. Rwanda’s government has repeatedly denied backing the M23 rebels. There was no immediate corroboration of that government figure or the new toll of at least 270 dead due to insecurity in the area but Muyaya said the information had come from local civil society groups. However, M23 chairman Bertrand Bisimwa said the death toll figure had been inflated by a tribal militia leader and that only eight people had been killed by stray bullets during the clashes last Tuesday in Kishishe.”
United States
CNN: Attacks On US Power Grid Have Been Subject Of Extremist Chatter For Years. DHS Bulletin Warns Of Attacks On Critical Infrastructure Amid Other Targets
“Attacks on the United States’ power grid have been the subject of extremist chatter for some time, notably ticking up in 2020, the same year a 14-page how-to on low tech attacks, including assaulting power grids with guns, circulated amongst extremist communication channels. A Department of Homeland Security bulletin reported by CNN just days before a weekend attack on a North Carolina substation indicated there was a heightened threat posed by domestic violent extremists in the US against targets including critical infrastructure. The electric grid has been described as an “attractive target” for domestic violent extremists in US, CNN reported earlier this year, citing an intelligence report. In 2020, intelligence analysts saw major uptick in online chatter focused on attacking the power grid. Notably in 2020, a 14-page document released in a Telegram channel favored by accelerationists groups seeking to speed the overthrow of the US government featured a white supremacist instruction guide to low-tech attacks meant to bring chaos, including how to attack a power grid with guns. The document has been cited by DHS officials and was obtained by CNN. “The powergrid would be crippled for a very large area. Armor piercing rounds shot into the transformers would destroy them,” the colorful how-to describes.”
Air Force Times: The Military Fielded Over 200 Domestic Extremism Reports Last Year
“The services took in 211 reports of domestic extremism between October 2021 and September 2022, 183 of which launched investigations, according to data in a recently released report by the Defense Department inspector general. Of those, 48 service members were subject to military legal action and 112 were referred to civilian law enforcement for investigation, according to data compiled by the services and submitted to the IG. This type of tracking is new for the military, as prior to 2021, there was no requirement to do so. As part of its ongoing efforts to confront racially-motivated, anti-government or otherwise violent domestic extremism, the Defense Department has asked the military services to compile data on every report taken and every investigation launched into what’s referred to as “prohibited activities.” The most recent data was compiled as part of a larger IG evaluation of several DoD and service-specific reports issued in 2021 and 2022, including from DoD IG, Army IG and the Government Accountability Office, that deal with diversity, equity and inclusion efforts across the department. The main problem the IG found with these efforts is that the services don’t use the same terminology across the board, making it difficult to present department-wide data. For example, the Army and Air Force Departments use the same terms as the FBI and the Homeland Security Department to describe different kinds of violent domestic extremism, as required by the 2020 National Defense Authorization Act, but the Navy Department has its own terms, the IG found.”
Syria
The National: Syria's Kurds Resume Counter-ISIS Raids With Coalition Troops
“The internationally backed Syrian Democratic Forces said it had resumed counter-terrorism operations with US and coalition forces after they were paused due to Turkey's shelling of Kurdish positions in northern Syria. The US-backed group led the ground offensive with international backing to defeat ISIS in Syria in 2019. Turkey has been shelling and carrying out air strikes in northern Syria in recent weeks and says it is preparing for a ground invasion against Kurdish groups that it accuses of carrying out a terrorist attack in Istanbul last month. Turkey brands the Kurdish force that makes up much of the SDF a terrorist organisation. The SDF on Friday said all joint operations with coalition forces had been paused due to the Turkish bombardment and called on the US and West to tell Turkey not to invade the areas under its control. The SDF has long warned that fighting off a new Turkish incursion would divert resources from protecting a prison holding ISIS fighters or raiding the terrorist group's sleeper cells still waging hit-and-run attacks in Syria. Simand Ali, an SDF spokesman, told Reuters on Monday that joint patrols and training exercises with the coalition had resumed at the weekend after a decrease in Turkish strikes, with four joint patrols carried out on Saturday and Sunday. Joint training drills had also resumed, he said.”
Iraq
The National: ISIS Foreign Fighters Must Be Repatriated, US Says
“Foreign ISIS fighters being held in Iraq and Syria should be repatriated and prosecuted in their home countries, the US told the UN Security Council on Monday. The US has for years urged nations to allow foreign fighters to return home and face prosecution for crimes committed under the ISIS flag, but many countries, including France, have declined to do so. Other countries, like Britain, have stripped accused ISIS fighters of their citizenship, making them stateless. Deputy US representative to the UN Richard Mills told the Security Council that repatriating ISIS foreign fighters is key to stemming radicalisation at camps where they and family members are being held. “The continued presence of thousands of ISIS foreign fighters in detention centres and their associated family members and displacement camps in Syria and Iraq must be addressed,” Mr Mills said. He said these camps were targets for ISIS attacks and radicalisation, and that the threat posed by the group and its affiliates remained “global and critical”. The residents are mostly in Iraqi custody or in Kurdish detention camps in north-eastern Syria. Al Hol in north-eastern Syria is home to more than 53,000 people. Thousands have suspected ISIS ties but many came to the camp to flee the extremists. The bodies of the two Egyptian girls were found in the overcrowded camp's sewerage system days after they went missing, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported.”
Afghanistan
Voice Of America: Taliban Claim Arrest Of IS Gunman In Attack On Pakistan Envoy
“Afghanistan’s Taliban authorities said Monday they had arrested a foreign operative of the Islamic State militant group for allegedly carrying out last week’s failed assassination attempt on Pakistan’s chief diplomat in the country. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid claimed in a statement, citing initial investigations, that Friday’s gun assault on Pakistani Chargé d’affaires Ubaid-ur-Rehman Nizamani in Kabul was plotted with the aim of sowing distrust with Islamabad. Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack, saying in a statement that two gunmen from its regional affiliate, Islamic State Khorasan Province or ISIS-K, had carried it out. Mujahid wrote on Twitter the detainee “is a foreign country national and a member of Daesh.” He used a local name for ISIS-K but did not say what country the suspect was from. The spokesman asserted that the assault was jointly planned by ISIS-K and anti-Taliban forces. Pakistani officials said Nizamani was on a routine afternoon walk inside the embassy compound when gunmen opened fire on him from a nearby building. He escaped unhurt, but his Pakistani security guard was hit in the chest and both legs by bullets. “Some foreign groups are behind the attack and the intention was to create distrust between the two brotherly countries,” Mujahid said. He added the investigation into the shooting incident was continuing and promised to share future details later.”
Pakistan
Associated Press: Pakistan Army: 5 Militants, Soldier Killed In Shootout In NW
“Security forces raided a militant hideout in a former Pakistani Taliban stronghold near the border with Afghanistan, triggering a shootout that killed five insurgents and a soldier, the military said Monday. The shootout happened in North Waziristan, a district of the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, according to a military statement. It did not say when the fighting took place or provide details about the slain alleged militants. A message left with a military spokesperson was not immediately returned. The Pakistani Taliban, known as the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, said their fighters killed a soldier during a raid by troops on their hideouts in North Waziristan. In a statement Monday, the group said it foiled the military raid but didn't say whether it suffered any casualties. The Pakistani Taliban are a separate group but are allies of the Afghan Taliban, who seized power in Afghanistan a year ago as U.S. and NATO troops were in the final stages of their pullout. The Taliban takeover in Afghanistan has emboldened the Pakistani Taliban.”
Middle East
The Jerusalem Post: Israel Saw Dramatic Drop In Terror In November Despite Fatal Attacks
“Despite terrorist attacks claiming five Israeli lives in November, data released by the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) indicate the lowest overall number of attacks in four months. There were 196 attacks in the West Bank, Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip in November, compared with 401 in October, 254 in September and 209 in August, the Shin Bet reported Monday. The number of fatalities and wounded victims increased, however, as five people were killed and 28 were wounded, compared with three people killed and 19 wounded in October and two fatalities and 14 wounded in August. In late November, three Israelis were killed in a stabbing and vehicular ramming attack outside the Ariel industrial zone. A week later, two Israelis were killed when two bombs exploded at bus stops in Jerusalem. Most of the attacks were firebombs – 121 in November, compared with 258 in October, 139 in September, 135 in August and 75 in July. There was also a decrease in the number of shooting attacks, from 46 in October to 21 in November. The increase in shooting attacks in recent months has become a major source of concern for the IDF. The attacks targeted security forces, Israeli civilians and
vehicles.”
Nigeria
Sahara Reporters: Us Raises Concerns Over Boko Haram, ISWAP, Seven Other Terrorist Groups Around Africa
“The United States Government has raised concern over the terrorist activities perpetrated by Boko Haram, the Islamic State's West Africa Province (ISWAP) and other seven terrorists groups in Africa. This was stated in a report by Anthony J. Blinken, US Secretary of State on Friday, accessing violence against freedom of religion globally. The statement chastised China, Saudi Arabia, and other Asian countries for flagrant violations of the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998, alleging that they had engaged in or tolerated particularly severe violations of religious freedom. The statement reads: “Around the world, governments and non-state actors harass, threaten, jail, and even kill individuals on account of their beliefs. In some instances, they stifle individuals’ freedom of religion or belief to exploit opportunities for political gain. These actions sow division, undermine economic security, and threaten political stability and peace. The United States will not stand by in the face of these abuses. “Today, I am announcing designations against Burma, the People’s Republic of China, Cuba, Eritrea, Iran, Nicaragua, the DPRK, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan as Countries of Particular Concern under the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 for having engaged in or tolerated particularly severe violations of religious freedom.”
Daily Post Nigeria: Scores Of Terrorists Dead As Boko Haram, ISWAP Clash In Lake Chad
“An infighting between the late Abubakar Shekau’s faction of Boko Haram and Islamic State of West African Province (ISWAP), has reportedly left scores of terrorists killed in the last three days. Zagazola Makama, a Counter Insurgency Expert and Security Analyst in the Lake Chad, gathered that the notorious leader of Boko Haram, Ali Ngulde, on December 3, led hundreds of fighters armed with weapons from Mandara mountains to attack ISWAP positions in a major onslaught against the rival group. Intelligence sources also told Makama that the clash began in the camp of Yuwe, which triggered a heavy firefight and Ngulde’s fighters overpowered the ISWAP elements and nutrialised about 12 of them and seized their weapons. Shortly, sources said, the Boko Haram fighters quickly mobilized more fighters from Abu Ikilima’s camp at Gaizuwa, Gabchari, Mantari and Mallum Masari. According to the counterinsurgency expert, more than 23 ISWAP fighters were said to have been killed on December 4, when the Shekau’s faction of the Boko Haram group divided themselves into two groups and raided ISWAP positions in Ukuba, Arra and Sabil Huda. Zagazola understands that on Sunday night, reinforcement team of the ISWAP camps were sighted around the axis of Kawuri and Aulari, where in the morning on Monday a top ISWAP leader, Ba’ana Chingori, led a column of fighters to attack Boko Haram position in Farisu.”
Africa
Arab News: Daesh Continues Its Inexorable Rise To Ascendancy In Africa
“The life expectancy of Daesh’s “caliphs” gets ever shorter. The group has been forced to acknowledge the second death of a leader in just a few months. Militants are not even particularly grieved about these losses because they know nothing about either the new or the old leaders; they simply blindly pledge cult-like loyalty to these shadowy figures. In Iraq and Syria, Daesh’s murderous activities mercifully appear to be in terminal decline, with sharply reduced numbers of attacks confined to a dwindling number of localities — in particular, areas like Kirkuk, Nineveh and Salahuddin, where Iran-backed Hashd paramilitaries appear happy to turn a blind eye. Daesh sees these Tehran-affiliated paramilitaries as its most promising route back to preeminence, given their unceasing efforts to destabilize the Iraqi state and trigger sectarian tensions. Hezbollah and the Hashd never tire of demonizing all Sunnis as Daesh supporters, despite the group’s actual presence in Lebanon being vanishingly small. Despite daily reports of the arrest and killing of extremists, Daesh’s demonic predecessors have rebounded from strategic defeat in the past. Dazzled by their millennial worldview, they believe that history is on their side and, if they are on the back foot today, victory is assured in five, 20 or 100 years.”
The North Africa Post: Burkina Faso: Four Teachers Killed In Terrorist Attack
“A terror attack targeted a bowl club in the town of Bittou, the center-East province of Boulgou, on Sunday, killing four teachers, the National education ministry of Burkina Faso has announced. “The Ministry of Education honors the memory of four of its teachers, who fell as a result of the terrorist attack that targeted a bowl club in Bittou on Sunday, December 4, 2022. Forever in our hearts. Fighters against ignorance and obscurantism, militants of a resilient Burkinabe school, soldiers of peace, to your strong commitment, we will remain faithful,” the ministry said in a statement. The victims were teachers at the town’s high and junior secondary schools. A group of unidentified armed men assaulted Sunday evening a bowl club of the town that was gathering lots of civilians. No one has claimed responsibility for the attack so far. The West African country has slid into insecurity since 2015. Repeated attacks have targeted several regions of the country and caused thousands of deaths among civilians, and the internal and external displacement of thousands of populations. Official sources indicate that the state has lost control of 40 per cent of the territory. Authorities on October 24, launched a campaign to recruit 50,000 volunteer fighters for the defense of the country to support the army to win back the lost territory.”
United Kingdom
BBC News: Leeds: Two Arrested On Suspicion Of Terror Offences
“Two people have been arrested in Leeds on suspicion of being involved in the preparation of acts of terrorism. A 30-year-old woman and a 29-year-old man from Yeadon were arrested on Friday, police said. They were taken for questioning to a police station and a property in Yeadon was being searched as part of an “intelligence-led operation”, Counter Terrorism Policing North East added. Police have been granted a warrant to detain both suspects until 9 December. They were arrested on suspicion of being concerned in the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism under Section 41 of the Terrorism Act 2000, a police spokesperson said.”
Technology
Estonian Free Press: TamTam Deletes Channels Promoting Neo-Nazi Accelerationism And Terror
“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.”
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