“A terrorist convicted of committing a 2017 attack for ISIS that killed eight
on a New York City bike path will serve life in prison after a jury said Monday
it could not reach a unanimous decision on the death penalty. Sayfullo Saipov
effectively learned his sentence when the jury in the penalty phase of his
trial in Manhattan federal court told a judge that it was unable to reach an
undivided decision favoring the death penalty on any of the nine capital counts
it was asked to consider. A unanimous decision would have been required to
sentence Saipov to death in the first death penalty trial under the Biden
administration. Absent the death penalty, the statutorily mandated sentence for
the convictions is life in prison, the US attorney for the Southern District of
New York said. US District Judge Vernon Broderick did not immediately impose
the mandated sentence Monday, and said an official sentencing date will be
scheduled.”











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Eye on Extremism



March 14, 2023



CNN: NYC Bike Path Terrorist To Serve Life In Prison After Jury Fails To Reach
Unanimous Decision On Death Penalty
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“A terrorist convicted of committing a 2017 attack for ISIS that killed eight
on a New York City bike path will serve life in prison after a jury said Monday
it could not reach a unanimous decision on the death penalty. Sayfullo Saipov
effectively learned his sentence when the jury in the penalty phase of his
trial in Manhattan federal court told a judge that it was unable to reach an
undivided decision favoring the death penalty on any of the nine capital counts
it was asked to consider. A unanimous decision would have been required to
sentence Saipov to death in the first death penalty trial under the Biden
administration. Absent the death penalty, the statutorily mandated sentence for
the convictions is life in prison, the US attorney for the Southern District of
New York said. US District Judge Vernon Broderick did not immediately impose
the mandated sentence Monday, and said an official sentencing date will be
scheduled.”



Voice Of America News: US Hate Crimes Hit Record High: FBI Updated Report
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“The number of hate crimes in the United States jumped dramatically in 2021
to set a record high of nearly 11,000 incidents, the FBI said in a supplement
to its annual hate crimes report. There were 10,840 reported incidents of hate
crime in 2021, according to the update, a 31% increase from 8,263 reported the
previous year. The FBI had previously put the number of hate crimes in 2021 at
7,262, based on incomplete data. The year-on-year increase in hate crimes in
2021 was the largest in more than three decades, according to Brian Levin,
director of the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at California State
University, San Bernardino. ‘This represents a horrifying new era that we're in
with elevated historic levels across many years and a broken record in 2021,’
Levin said in an interview with VOA. The FBI defines hate crime as a criminal
offense motivated ‘by the offender's bias(es) against a race, religion,
disability, sexual orientation, ethnicity, gender or gender identity.’ The most
reported hate crimes in 2021: intimidation, simple assault and destruction,
damage and vandalism.”



United States



CNN: Stanford University Police Launch Hate Crime Investigation After
Antisemitic Drawing Found On Jewish Student’s Dorm Room Door
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“The placing of an antisemitic drawing in a dormitory at Stanford University
is being investigated by campus police as a hate crime, officials said. The
drawing, which included “multiple swastikas and an image modified to resemble
Adolf Hitler,” was discovered on a whiteboard attached to a Jewish student’s
dorm room door Friday, the university said in a statement. ‘This incident is
being investigated by the Department of Public Safety as a crime motivated by
hate. Purposely intimidating and threatening people based on protected
identities is antithetical to Stanford’s values,’ the statement said.
Antisemitism ‘and other acts of hate and intolerance are unacceptable on this
campus.’ Due to the criminal investigation, the drawing isn’t considered
protected speech and the person or persons responsible could face legal or
disciplinary action, the university said.”



Syria



The National: RAF Drone Strike Hits 'Leading' ISIS Terrorist In Syria
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“The Royal Air Force carried out a drone strike in Syria against a ‘leading’
ISIS terrorist who was involved in chemical and biological weapons, Defence
Secretary Ben Wallace told the Commons on Monday. The strike took place in
December, with two missiles fired, both of which ‘struck the target
accurately’, Mr Wallace told MPs. ISIS once had a stronghold in north-east
Syria. Currently several groups, including US-backed Kurdish-led forces as well
as Syrian government troops with their Russian and Iranian allies, control the
area. But ISIS sleeper cells still carry out deadly attacks.”



Al-Mayadeen: US-Led Forces In Syria Transport 150 ISIS Militants From
Al-Hasakah
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“Al Mayadeen sources reported that the so-called ‘International Coalition’
led by the United States in Syria has transferred a number of ISIS militants
from the Industrial Secondary Prison in the city of Al-Hasakah. The sources
stated that the ISIS militants of various foreign nationalities, who number
about 150, were transferred to the US bases of Al-Shadadi and Al-Omar in the
countryside of Deir Ezzor and the Semalka border crossing, on the border with
Iraq. On Sunday, the head of the Iraqi Counter-Terrorism Service, Abdul-Wahhab
Al-Saadi, confirmed the elimination of 22 terrorists, including prominent
leaders, in a qualitative operation in Al-Anbar Governorate, in the west of the
country. The Iraqi News Agency quoted Al-Saadi as saying that 22 terrorists
were killed in a specific operation in Al-Anbar, adding that the terrorists who
were killed included prominent leaders of ISIS terrorist gangs, and they were
all wearing explosive belts. This came in parallel with the launch of the
Popular Mobilization Authority in Iraq, a large-scale security operation in the
western Nineveh Governorate.”



Afghanistan



Associated Press: IS Claims Bombing At Shiite Center In Northern Afghanistan
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“The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for a bombing over the
weekend at a cultural center run by the minority Shiite community in northern
Afghanistan that killed one person and wounded eight people. The Tabian center
of the Hazaras in Balkh’s provincial capital, Mazar-e-Sharif, was struck on
Saturday, during an event honoring local journalists. The regional affiliate of
IS — known as the Islamic State in Khorasan Province — is a key rival of the
Taliban and has frequently targeted members of Afghanistan’s Shiite minority.
The militant group has increased its attacks in Afghanistan since the Taliban
takeover of the country in August 2021. IS attacks have also included Taliban
patrols.”



Pakistan



The News International: Two Terrorists, Including ‘KPO Attack Mastermind’,
Killed In Overnight CTD Operation
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“The Sindh police on Monday claimed to have killed the mastermind of the
recent terrorist attack on the Karachi Police Office (KPO) along with his
accomplice during an overnight operation. Two other suspects were also arrested
in the operation that was carried out by the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD)
of the police. The CTD said it seized weapons, motorcycles and suicide vests
from the possession of the arrested men. The operation took place on the night
between Sunday and Monday near the Northern Bypass in the Manghopir area.
According to CTD Incharge Raja Umer Khattab, the mastermind of the KPA attack
was a man, Aryadullah, alias Hassan, who was killed along with his companion
Waheedullah, alias Khalid, alias Huzaifa, during an exchange of fire with the
CTD. The CTD incharge added that their two accomplices, Abdul Aziz, alias Ali,
and Mehran, alias Maherban, were also arrested during the operation. Later in
the day, Sindh Information Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon addressed a press
conference to brief the media on the CTD operation. He was accompanied by the
CTD incharge, Additional IG CTD Imran Yaqoob Minhas, DIG CTD Zulfiqar Larik and
SSP Tariq Nawaz.”



Middle East



i24 News: Islamic Jihad Calls On Israeli Arabs To Start Another Intifada
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“A spokesman for the military wing of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror
group called on Israeli Arabs to start an intifada, an armed uprising. Speaking
after large-scale military drills were held in the northern Gaza Strip on
Monday, Abu Hamza threatened that ‘the Islamic Jihad will cause the stupid
enemy to be worn down by launching rockets in its direction, since the
organization has many other means of warfare that will hurt the enemy.’ ‘We
call on all the fighters among our people and the free people in the West Bank
and in Israel to mobilize for this war, so that there will be an overall
intifada that will create the basis for the end of our enemy and its expulsion
from all of Palestine,’ he said. ‘We will turn the so-called Gaza envelope,
including cities and the occupied colonies, into a place that cannot be lived
in, and we will launch rockets to ever further ranges,’ Hamza claimed.”



Somalia



Garowe Online: Al-Shabaab Morning Bombing In Somalia Leaves Several Dead
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“Al-Shabaab has waged yet another attack on Tuesday morning in the suburbs of
Bandhere town, multiple eyewitnesses reported, in what could be a revenge
mission after having suffered several defeats across the country as Somalia
heightened operations against the group. For the last seven months, the Somali
National Army [SNA] with the help of the US Africa Command, the African Union
Transition Mission in Somalia [ATMIS] and local militia, has been fighting the
militants in their strongholds, recovering many strategic towns in the process
according to the government. According to reports, the militants struck
Bandhere town on Tuesday leaving quite a number of people dead and wounded Gedo
governor Ahmed Bulle Gared and a military official named colonel Ahmed
Abdullahi.”



Africa



Asharq Al-Awsat: Mauritanian Security Pursues 'Sleeper Cells', Fears Return Of
Clashes With 'Al-Qaeda'
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“The Mauritanian authorities announced that an anti-terrorism military unit
carried out a special operation in a remote desert area, killing three of the
four al-Qaeda members who escaped from the central prison in Nouakchott a week
ago. The fleeing prisoners were apprehended about 400 km northeast of the
capital en route to a desert road used by smugglers leading to Mali. A
Mauritanian army source believed the terrorists most likely intended to head
towards northern Mali, the strongholds of al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb. The
source told Asharq Al-Awsat that they were in a four-wheel drive car, but it
broke down, and they were spotted by locals, who informed security.”



United Kingdom



The Guardian: Police Officer Charged With Terror Offence For Ulster Defence
Association Social Media Posts
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“A police officer has been charged with a terrorism offence after posting on
social media in support of the Ulster Defence Association. William Loyd-Hughes,
26, is alleged to have posted images promoting the loyalist paramilitary group
last year while employed by West Yorkshire police. The officer, who was based
at Huddersfield police station, has been charged with publishing messages in
support of a proscribed organisation contrary to the Terrorism Act 2000. The
Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said Loyd-Hughes had also been
charged with three counts of sharing grossly offensive messages on Twitter. The
alleged offences are believed to have taken place in August and September 2022,
while he was serving with West Yorkshire police as a detention officer.”



The National: Climate Protester Jailed After Vowing To Continue Disruptive
Action
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“…’Imprisoning peaceful protesters has changed the terrain and we have to
choose how we react to that.’ In January, Prof Ian Acheson of the Counter
Extremism Project called on the UK to use existing laws and set up special
courts to expedite the arrest, prosecution and punishment of people whose
actions have a disproportionate effect on the public. He warned some
radicalised people involved in protest causes may feel the only way to keep
their case alive may be ‘through a high-profile act of violence’. He spoke
after Extinction Rebellion, also known as XR, vowed at the start of this year
to end acts of public disruption.”



France



The Jerusalem Post: Journalists Of French State-Owned Network Suspended For
Hitler, Hamas Praise
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“On the heels of the exposé of antisemitic social media posts by four
journalists working for France 24, the French state-owned news network has
suspended the journalists and is currently investigating their social media
pages. The France 24 news site reported online that ‘after the publication of
an article on the CAMERA website [Committee for Accuracy in Middle East
Reporting in America], and taken up by the Simon Wiesenthal Center, implicating
a journalist and three Arabic-language correspondents of France 24 regarding
certain comments they allegedly posted on their personal pages on social
networks, the channel's management has immediately opened an audit on these
alleged posts, as it communicated internally on March 10.’ CAMERA’s exposé,
which can be read here in full, demonstrates that the four journalists failed
to live up to France 24’s charter of ethics. In numerous social media posts,
the journalists can be seen praising Hitler, minimizing the Holocaust, and
glorifying Hamas-affiliated terrorists who murdered and maimed scores of Jewish
civilians.”



India



The Tribune: NIA Raids House Of ISIS Suspect In Srinagar
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“The NIA today said it had raided the house of a suspected Islamic State
operative in Srinagar as part of an investigation into a case related to
activities of some individuals from Kerala linked to the global terror group —
Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). In an official statement, the NIA said
the house of Uzair Azhar Bhat, suspected to have been a part of the Kerala
module of the Islamic State, was raided at the Karfali Mohalla locality in
Srinagar’s downtown. The NIA also confirmed that the raiding team seized
digital devices which are being examined. Further investigation is in progress.
In 2021, the NIA had launched a probe against Mohammed Ameen, alias Abu Yahya,
of Kadannamanna in Kerala, who had been running various Islamic State
propaganda channels on different social media platforms. ‘Through these
channels, he was propagating violent jihadi ideology of the ISIS. He was
radicalising and recruiting new members into this terror module. He and his
associates had even identified certain individuals for targeted killings,’ the
NIA said, adding that they had also made plans to undertake ‘Hijrah’(migration)
to Jammu and Kashmir for engaging in terrorist acts and had raised funds from
various sources for this trip.”



Azerbaijan



Daily Sabah: ‘PKK Terrorists, Armenians Train Together At Iranian-Run Karabakh
Camp’
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“Two experts have claimed that members of the PKK terrorist group and
Armenians are being trained together at a military camp in Azerbaijan’s
disputed region of Karabakh where Iran allegedly moved some 4,000 militants
left idle following the détente in Syria, mostly propelled by the twin
earthquakes that killed thousands on Feb. 6. ‘These Iranian militants are
highly likely to be sent to not just Karabakh but also to the warzone between
Russia and Ukraine,’ according to professor Toğrul Ismayıl, an expert in
Russian and Eurasian politics. ‘These allegations are 100% accurate,’ said
another expert, Babek Şahit of Tabriz Research Institute. As tensions boil
between neighbors Azerbaijan and Iran, Tehran has declared Armenia’s border
security as its redline and has been shifting militants to Karabakh, the source
of the longstanding conflict between Baku and Yerevan, according to Ismayıl and
Şahit.”



Technology



Wired: The Case For Regulating Platform Design
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“IN THE SUMMER of 2017, three Wisconsin teenagers were killed in a high-speed
car crash. At the time of the collision, the boys were recording their speed
using Snapchat's Speed Filter—123 miles per hour. This was not the first such
incident: The same filter was linked to several other crashes between 2015 and
2017. Parents of the Wisconsin teenagers sued Snapchat, claiming that its
product, which awarded ‘trophies, streaks, and social recognition’ to users who
topped 100 miles per hour, was negligently designed to encourage dangerous
high-speed driving. A lower court initially found that Section 230 of the
Communications Decency Act immunized Snapchat from responsibility, claiming the
app wasn’t liable for third-party content created by people using its Speed
Filter. But in 2021 the Ninth Circuit reversed the lower court's ruling.
Platforms are largely immune from being held liable for this kind of content
due to Section 230. But, in this important case–Lemmon v. Snap–the Ninth
Circuit made a critical distinction between a platform’s own harmful product
design and its hosting of harmful third-party content. The argument wasn’t that
Snapchat had created or hosted harmful content, but rather that it had
negligently designed a feature, the Speed Filter, that incentivized dangerous
behavior.”



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