Eye on Extremism
March 2, 2023
AFP News: US Man Arrested Trying To Bring Homemade Explosive Onto Plane
“The FBI has arrested a man who allegedly attempted to bring an explosive device onto an airplane in Pennsylvania, US authorities said Wednesday. The bomb was discovered by Transportation Security Administration (TSA) personnel on Monday, after the man's checked bag set off an alarm at Lehigh Valley International Airport in the city of Allentown, the federal agency said in a statement. A section of the airport, located about 100 miles (160 kilometers) west of New York, was evacuated as a precaution, the TSA said. ‘FBI and local law enforcement bomb technicians determined that the item was indeed a live explosive device,’ TSA spokeswoman Lisa Farbstein said on Twitter.”
Associated Press: UN Chief Praises Moves Toward Stability In Rare Iraq Visit
“The United Nations chief on Wednesday praised Iraq for repatriating citizens detained in neighboring Syria on suspicion of ties to the Islamic State group and pledged international support for the country’s efforts to regain stability and security. U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres spoke to reporters during a rare visit to Baghdad, his first in six years, ahead of this month’s 20-year anniversary of the 2003 U.S.-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein. The years that followed Saddam’s overthrow saw widespread sectarian violence and the rise first of al-Qaida in the region and later, the extremist Islamic State group, which at one point controlled wide swaths of territory, including Iraq’s second-largest city, Mosul. ‘We recognize that the challenges Iraq is facing did not arise overnight,’ Guterres said, speaking at a news conference alongside Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani. ‘They are the product of decades of oppression, war, terrorism, sectarianism and foreign interference.’”
United States
Fox News: Controversial School Board Member Endorsed Curriculum That Removes 'Islamic Terror' From 9/11 History Lessons
“A Fairfax, Virginia, school board member recommended curriculum materials for teachers to use for their lesson plans which opposed using terms such as ‘radical Islamic terror,’ ‘Islamic terrorists’ and ‘jihadists’ when discussing the history of the Sept. 11 attacks. Abrar Omeish is a school board member and Georgetown law student who has become marred in controversy over a series of controversial statements. In one instance, she refused to vote on a motion to commemorate 9/11 victims. Fox News Digital found that in 2021 Omeish recommended public school teachers use a ‘culturally responsive’ curriculum guide for their lesson plans about 9/11 history.”
WTOP News: The Hunt: Taliban Hunting Down US Collaborators
“A new U.S. report said following the collapse of Afghanistan, the Taliban acquired a national database of biometric information. The report from the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction said that the Taliban are using it to track down people who helped the U.S. On this week’s edition of “The Hunt with WTOP national security correspondent J.J. Green”, Hans-Jakob Schindler, senior director of the Counter Extremism Project, said some of those captured have been killed.”
Syria
Presna Latina: Terrorist Drone Strikes Reported In Syrian Province
“The jihadists of the Turkestan Party and Levant Liberation Board’ groups, formerly al-Nousra Front, a group registered on the international terrorism list, bombed military positions and civilian localities with shells and unmanned aerial vehicles, a statement from the center said. It added that hostile actions were aimed at targets in government-controlled areas in Idlib and Latakia governments. The national army managed during its operations in 2020 to liberate 56 percent of Idlib, but radicals still control less than half of it, where they are holding hundreds of thousands of civilians as human shields. At Damascus’ request, Russia in 2015 sent forces to Syria to help fight terrorism, which are mainly concentrated at the Hemeimim airbase and the naval base in Tartous in the eastern Mediterranean.”
Iraq
Daily Sabah: UN Says Backs ‘Full’ Implementation Of Sinjar Agreement In Iraq
“The United Nations is all for the complete implementation of the Sinjar Agreement, which envisages the removal of the PKK terrorist organization from the Iraqi city, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Wednesday during a visit to Baghdad. ‘We support this matter,’ Guterres said, referring to the agreement signed under the auspices of the U.N. between the central government in Baghdad and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) on Oct. 9, 2020, that never took effect, allowing the PKK to roam free in the territory to this day. Sinjar is wedged between Türkiye to the north and Syria to the west, making it a highly strategic zone long coveted by both Baghdad and the KRG. Despite being administered by the Iraqi city of Mosul, it is considered a disputed enclave with the KRG. It fell under the control of the PKK and pro-Iran Iraqi militias following Daesh’s invasion in 2014 where the terrorists managed to establish a foothold under the pretext of protecting the local Yazidi community from Daesh and have been trying to turn the district into a ‘second Qandil.’”
Iraqi News: Security Vehicle Bombed In Northern Iraq
“A security source mentioned that a Turkish bombing targeted a security vehicle, west of Nineveh governorate, in northern Iraq, Alsumaria News reported. The security source said that the bombing targeted a vehicle belonging to the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) near the Sinjar Police Directorate in Nineveh. Ankara, which has military bases in northern Iraq for 25 years, launches military operations against militants belonging to Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), who are stationed in training camps and bases in northern Iraq. Turkish forces are stationed in about 40 locations in the northern part of Iraq, from which they track PKK fighters, while civilians find themselves sometimes threatened because of this conflict.”
Turkey
Yahoo News: Ex-Islamic State Fighters Still Pose A Risk In Turkey, Finds Report
“Former foreign fighters of the so-called Islamic State terror group (SIS) might still pose a threat in Turkey, a new report has found. The International Crisis Group study -- published this week -- said ex-ISIS militants were an ‘enduring challenge’ in Turkey, presenting officials with ‘complex questions’. ‘Thousands of foreign nationals who joined ISIS in Syria and Iraq have crossed into Turkey. Some have been deported. Others have stayed,’ the report said. ‘Their presence creates a humanitarian and security challenge for Turkey, currently reeling from the devastating earthquakes of February 2023.’”
Afghanistan
Voice Of America News: Taliban Announce Reopening Of Universities, But Only For Male Students
“De facto Taliban authorities have announced the reopening of state-run universities in the Afghan capital, Kabul, and several other cities, but say only male students will be allowed to attend. ‘According to a decision by the Supreme Council for Higher Education,’ reads a short statement from the Taliban’s Ministry of Higher Education, ‘studies of the male students at governmental higher education institutions in the colder provinces will officially start from [March 6] of the current year.’ Schools and universities go on annual winter break in about 24 of Afghanistan’s 34 provinces. The Islamist government banned higher education for female students last year, saying women had not appropriately observed gender-based religious restrictions under the prior government, which was backed by the United States.”
Samaa: Six TTP Terrorists Including Prominent Commander Killed In Afghanistan IED Blast
“At least six terrorists of Tehrik-i-Taliban (TTP) including an important commander were killed and 15 others were injured in an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) blast in Khost province of Afghanistan. The attack comes a week after a senior Pakistani delegation had visited Afghanistan’s capital for talks with Taliban officials. Pakistani Defence Minister Khwaja Asif was joined on Wednesday by other top officials – including Lieutenant General Nadeem Anjum, the director general of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence agency, or ISI – in their meeting with Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, Afghanistan acting deputy prime minister for economic affairs, in Kabul. The identities of the slain commanders were revealed to be Abdul Manan, Alam Khan Mudakhel, Kajir, and three others unidentified.”
Pakistan
Dawn: Militant Attacks Surged In February, Says Report
“Militant attacks witnessed a surge in the month of February this year, but the resultant deaths were down as compared to January. An attack by the outlawed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) on Karachi Police Headquarters was the most high-profile attack in the month of February. According to the statistics released by Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS), militants carried out 58 attacks during the past month in which 62 people were killed, including 27 civilians, 18 security forces personnel and 17 militants while 134 people were injured, including 54 civilians and 80 security forces personnel. The database showed that for the first time after June 2015, the country faced 58 attacks in a single month. The upward trajectory of anti-state violence continued in February as 32 per cent more insurgents’ attacks were recorded compared with January 2023. However, the number of deaths declined by 56 per cent compared with January.”
Yemen
Asharq Al-Awsat: Yemen Demands Decisive Int’l Stance Against Houthi Terrorism
“The legitimate Yemeni government warned on Tuesday that it may wage a ‘decisive’ battle against the Iran-bqacked Houthi militias should peace efforts fail. It stressed the need for the international community to take a firm stance against the terrorist militias, especially in wake of its increasing violations of the truce and crimes against civilians in regions under their control. Yemeni Prime Minister Maeen Abdulmalik Saeed held talks with United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on the sidelines of a donors conference for Yemen in Geneva this week. Official Yemeni sources said the officials discussed UN and international efforts to achieve peace in Yemen. They tackled the Houthis’ deliberate obstruction of the extension of the nationwide truce that was in place from April to October 2022.”
Middle East
Associated Press: Israeli Army Kills Palestinian In West Bank; 3 Arrested
“Israeli troops arrested three Palestinians on Wednesday suspected of involvement in the killing earlier this week of an American-Israeli while a fourth was shot and killed fleeing the scene of a daylight raid in a West Bank refugee camp, the military said. The arrest raid in the Aqabat Jaber refugee camp near Jericho came as Israel’s parliament gave initial approval to a proposal to impose the death penalty on Palestinians convicted in deadly attacks. A top minister in Israel’s far-right government, meanwhile, called for ‘erasing’ a Palestinian town in the occupied West Bank where radical Jewish settlers went on a rampage earlier this week. The official Palestinian news agency Wafa reported that three Palestinians were also wounded in the raid in the Aqabat Jaber camp. Israeli leaders said the men arrested were suspected in the killing of Elan Ganeles, a 27-year-old Israeli-American who was fatally shot while driving on a West Bank highway near the refugee camp on Monday.”
The Times Of Israel: ‘A Loss For The World’: Israeli-American Elan Ganeles, Killed By Terrorists, Buried
“Elan Ganeles, a 26-year-old Israeli-American killed in a terror attack near the Dead Sea on Monday, was laid to rest in a Ra’anana cemetery on Wednesday. Ganeles’s family, who live in West Hartford, Connecticut, flew to Israel for the funeral, with thousands in attendance. Eulogizing her son, Ganeles’s mother Caroline said, ‘He was the brightest boy in the world… he had never-ending inquisitiveness.’ ‘While in Israel, he fell in love with the land and the people. This is where he wanted to be,’ his father Andrew said. ‘He was going to make aliyah.’”
i24 News: IDF Arrests 13 Palestinians In Counter-Terror Raids In West Bank
“Israeli security forces continued their counter-terror operation in the West Bank early on Thursday, arresting 13 individuals suspected of terrorism or being accomplices, according to the military spokesperson. The operation is part of a wider Israeli effort to clamp down on terror amid growing unrest in the Palestinian territories and an uptick in attacks targeting Israelis. A force comprising of Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers, border police and officers of the Shin Bet security agency raided terrorist hideouts in the flashpoint cities of Hebron and Jenin and several surrounding villages. During the operation, armed civilians in several villages fired at Israeli troops, who responded with crowd control methods.”
Africa
Reuters: U.S. Special Forces Launch Counter-Terrorism Drills With African Armies
“The United States began its annual counter-terrorism training program for African forces in Ghana on Wednesday, aiming to strengthen border defences in the fight against Islamist insurgents who are spreading south into new territories. The program, known as Flintlock, started at a military base in the dusty northern town of Daboya where U.S. and European trainers drilled soldiers from across Africa on first aid and firing drills in the baking heat. ‘Flintlock intends to strengthen the ability of key partner nations in the region to counter violent extremist organizations, collaborate across borders, and provide security for their people,’ U.S. Africa Command said in a statement. The training comes at a critical time for West Africa, where groups linked to Islamic State and al Qaeda continue to carry out routine attacks on civilians and the military despite costly interventions from international forces.”
Voice Of America News: Security Experts Discuss Rising Extremist Violence In Africa
“Security experts are meeting this week in Senegal to discuss the fight against rising violent extremism in Africa, particularly in the Sahel region, where Islamist militant attacks are increasing at an alarming rate. Over the last decade, an abundance of resources in the form of military personnel and dollars have poured into the fight against militant violence in Africa. Scores of conferences, forums and training exercises have been held to discuss causes and solutions. The problem has not only persisted but has gotten worse. Deaths linked to Islamist militants on the continent skyrocketed by nearly 50 percent in the last year to more than 19,000 people, much of it in the western Sahel region, according to the Africa Center for Strategic Studies. The violence has also expanded geographically, trickling into new regions, such as West African coastal states and the Lake Chad Basin.”
United Kingdom
BBC: Alleged Patriotic Alternative Member Admits Terror Charges
“An alleged far-right fitness guru for a group known as Patriotic Alternative has admitted sharing a stash of terrorist documents on social media. Kristofer Kearney, 38, from Liverpool is believed to be the first member of the organisation to be convicted of terrorist offences. He shared Telegram posts glorifying and encouraging extreme right-wing terror attacks, the Old Bailey court was told. Kearney pleaded guilty to two counts of disseminating terrorist publications. Kearney, who was known online as Charlie Big Potatoes, was based in Alicante before he was extradited from Spain to face charges last September. He entered his plea by video-link from Chelmsford prison on Wednesday.”
Daily Mail: Public Inquiry Into Manchester Arena Bombing Will Publish Final Report Today On Whether MI5 And Counter-Terror Police Could Have Stopped Salman Abedi From Committing Atrocity That Killed 22 Concert-Goers
“The public inquiry into the Manchester Arena bombing will publish its third and final report today on whether MI5 and counter-terror police could have stopped the atrocity. Twenty-two people were killed and hundreds were injured in a suicide attack at the end of an Ariana Grande concert on May 22 2017. Evidence into the circumstances leading up to and surrounding the atrocity was heard in the city between September 7 2020 and February 15 2022. Today, Manchester Arena Inquiry chairman Sir John Saunders will release his findings on whether the terror attack by Salman Abedi could have been prevented by emergency services.”
Daily Mail: Shamima Begum And Other British Women Who Joined Islamic State And Are Being Held In Syria Will 'Ultimately' Be Allowed Back In The UK, Terror Watchdog Says
“Shamima Begum will ultimately be allowed back into Britain, the Government's terror watchdog said today. Jonathan Hall KC, the reviewer of terrorism legislation, said he has a 'hunch' that the UK will in time decide to repatriate current and former British citizens from Syria. Shamima Begum will ultimately be allowed back into Britain, the Government's terror watchdog said today. Jonathan Hall KC, the reviewer of terrorism legislation, said he has a 'hunch' that the UK will in time decide to repatriate current and former British citizens from Syria.”
France
RFI: French Woman 'Obsessed' With Joining Islamic State In Syria Jailed For 12 Years
“Douha Mounib, 32, was found guilty of associating with terrorists in her two stays in Syria, between 2013 and 2017. The special court noted her ‘uncommon determination’ to join the Islamic State armed group. In court Mounib detailed her radicalisation in 2012 and her desire to go to Syria that turned into an ‘obsession’. In 2012, after watching propaganda videos, she quit her midwife studies and started wearing a veil. She first went to Syria in 2013, traveling from Morocco to Turkey, where she married a smuggler, who helped her cross the border.”
Southeast Asia
One News: IS-East Asia Still Deadliest Terror Threat In Phl – Report
“The Islamic State (IS)-East Asia remained the deadliest terrorist threat in the Philippines, with the Southeast Asian country a target destination for foreign terrorist fighters (FTF) from Indonesia and Malaysia, according to the US Department of State’s latest annual country report on terrorism. The 2021 Country Reports on Terrorism identified the IS-East Asia factions as active, including Daulah Islamiya-Lanao (aka Maute group), Daulah Islamiya-Maguindanao, Daulah Islamiya-Soccsksargen in South Cotabato, Sarangani and General Santos City, IS-aligned elements of Abu Sayyaf in Basilan and Sulu, IS-aligned elements of Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters and rogue elements of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. ‘IS-East Asia remained the deadliest terrorist threat in the Philippines, continuing to recruit, fund raise and stage attacks on security forces and civilians alike,’ the report said. ‘The Philippines remained a destination for FTFs from Indonesia and Malaysia.’”
Philippine News Agency: NP Receives $3-M Counter-Terrorism Equipment From US
“The Philippine National Police (PNP) on Wednesday received USD3.3 million (around PHP181 million) worth of state-of-the-art equipment from the Office of Antiterrorism Assistance Program of the Diplomatic Security Services of the United States Embassy to help boost its counter-terrorism capability. US Ambassador to Manila MaryKay Carlson led the turnover of the donated equipment at Camp Bagong Diwa, in Taguig City, which includes 31 bomb suits, 37 Digital SCANX units, 40 X-ray Sources, 10 EOD bomb suit batteries, 33 high-risk search techniques kits, 13 seeker-e kits, and seven Ford Ranger pickup trucks. ‘This equipment with a total value of over USD3 million will enhance the capability of the PNP-Explosive Ordnance Disposal and K-9 unit to search, identify and render safe improvised explosive devices and facilitate collection of evidence to use for prosecution,’ Carlson said. Carlson stressed Washington D.C.’s commitment to supporting Manila in its fight against terrorism.”
Australia
ABC News: Bail Refused For Adelaide Man Cameron Brodie-Hall, Charged With Possessing Extremist Material
“Members of a neo-Nazi group were allegedly heard discussing CCTV at Adelaide Oval and on Adelaide's public transport system, a court has heard. Cameron Brodie-Hall, 22, is charged with possessing extremist material and possessing a document for terrorist acts. South Australia's District Court heard the documents related to "achieving mass awakening by taking down the system" and condoned successful terrorist attackers. Mr Brodie-Hall has asked the court to release him on home detention bail to live with his mother, an application that was strongly opposed by the prosecution. The prosecutor told the court the young man identified as a Nazi and was a member of an extremist and racist far-right group that was under investigation.”
India
The Print: India Expresses Concern Over Rising Threat Of Terrorism In Africa, Asia
“Concerned over the spread of terrorism, particularly in the regions of Africa and Asia, India on Wednesday said that the threat of terrorism can only be tackled through consistent and unified multilateral action. Ruchira Kamboj, India’s permanent representative to the UN, said that India is committed to eradicating terrorism entirely and will not rest until this goal is achieved. She quoted Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s statement, ‘even a single act of terrorism is one too many, even a single life lost is one too many’ and said that in recent years, India has contributed more than USD 2 million to the UN Office of Counter Terrorism in support of its global programmes to counter financing of terrorism as well as stemming terrorists’ travels.’ Going forward, we also reiterate our support to provide more financial resources to UNOCT from the regular UN budget.”
The Times Of India: Two With ISIS Links In Gujarat Get 10 Years In Jail For Plotting To Spread Terror
“A special NIA court here has sentenced two brothers, accused of having links with the terror outfit Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), to 10 years of imprisonment. Waseem Ramodiya and his younger brother Naeem were arrested by the Gujarat Anti Terrorist Squad (ATS) from Rajkot and Bhavnagar, respectively, in February 2017 for allegedly plotting to spread terror in the state on the instructions of their ISIS handlers. The case was handed over to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in May 2017. On Tuesday, special NIA court judge S K Baxi convicted both the accused, and sentenced them to ten years' imprisonment. The court found them guilty under Indian Penal Code sections 120B (criminal conspiracy), 121 (waging war against government) and 122 (collecting arms to wage war against government), relevant sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and Explosive Substances Act.”
Daily Pioneer: 7 ISIS-Linked Ultras Get Death Penalty In 2017 UP Case
“A special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court in Lucknow has sentenced to death seven ISIS-linked terrorists, while awarding life imprisonment to an associate in the 2017 Kanpur ISIS case. In Gujarat, another NIA special court awarded two brothers to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment in the ISIS Rajkot case in which the duo was convicted for radicalising and recruiting people to carry out terror acts in the country in the name of the global terror group. With these two convictions, the conviction rate of NIA stands at 93.69 percent. ‘The NIA sets standards of investigation and prosecution yet again. Continuing the tradition of evidence-based investigations, which rely on scientifically collected hard evidence, the NIA has achieved yet another milestone. In two separate judgments, NIA Special Courts at Lucknow and Ahmedabad have pronounced sentences for a total of 10 accused,’ the federal anti-terror probe agency said in a statement. Both cases relate to online radicalisation of the accused in the name of ISIS, their motivation to commit violent Jihad and cause terror attacks in the country, it said.”
Bangladesh
The Business Standard: 4 Members Of Militant Outfit Jamatul Ansar Held In Ctg
“The Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) has arrested four more members of the banned militant outfit Jamatul Ansar Fil Hindal Sharqiya from Chattogram's Patiya as part of the ongoing anti-militancy operation that started on 10 October last year. They were arrested in a drive conducted by RAB in the area on Tuesday night, the elite force confirmed. Details of the drive will be revealed in a media briefing on Wednesday. ‘The arrestees left their homes and took military training in the Chattogram Hill Tracts for the so-called ‘Hijrat’ (migration), Assistant Director (media) of RAB-7 Nurul Absar told The Business Standard.”
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