“Israel's army on Wednesday announced it killed a suspect wearing an explosive
belt in the country's north earlier this week, suggesting the possible
involvement of Lebanon's Hezbollah movement. ‘We are examining a possibility of
the Hezbollah terrorist organisation of being involved’ with the suspected
attacker who was shot dead on Monday, the army said. The suspect was stopped in
a car at one of the established border crossings in the north of Israel after
an explosive device was detonated in the area, at the Meggido junction about 35
kilometres (22 miles) from Haifa. The army said the suspect was believed to
have been responsible for that explosion, which severely injured an Israeli
civilian.”











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Eye on Extremism



March 16 2023



AFP News: Army Says Suspected Hezbollah-Linked Suicide Bomber Shot Dead In
Israel
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“Israel's army on Wednesday announced it killed a suspect wearing an explosive
belt in the country's north earlier this week, suggesting the possible
involvement of Lebanon's Hezbollah movement. ‘We are examining a possibility of
the Hezbollah terrorist organisation of being involved’ with the suspected
attacker who was shot dead on Monday, the army said. The suspect was stopped in
a car at one of the established border crossings in the north of Israel after
an explosive device was detonated in the area, at the Meggido junction about 35
kilometres (22 miles) from Haifa. The army said the suspect was believed to
have been responsible for that explosion, which severely injured an Israeli
civilian.”



Reuters: Police Deploy To Sensitive Sites In Vienna, Warning Of Islamist Attack

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“Vienna police stepped up armed patrols at sensitive sites in the Austrian
capital including churches on Wednesday after the country's domestic
intelligence agency received information suggesting an Islamist attack was
being planned. The city's police took the rare step of warning the public on
social media that there would be a heightened presence of armed police,
including special forces, in the city. Vienna is among the safest capitals in
the world and militant attacks are rare. The first deadly attack in a
generation took place in 2020 when a jihadist gunman killed four people in a
shooting rampage before being shot dead by police. ‘Our intelligence services
have reason to believe that an assault with an Islamistic motive is planned to
be carried out in Vienna,’ Vienna police said in English on Twitter.”



United States



WTOP: Washington FBI Chief ‘Concerned All The Time’ About Terrorism, Spies And
Crime
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“…’It means we need to be perfect 100% of the time. They need to be perfect
only once,’ said Hans-Jakob Schindler, Sr. Director of the Counter Extremism
Project, in an interview. Schindler said terror groups are essentially waiting
for the right opportunity to attack western countries. ‘They recognize that we
have all the technology, that we have the military might, and great
intelligence agencies,’ Schindler said. ‘They also understand that we have very
evolved and complex societies and economies.’ But most importantly, he said,
‘They also know we can’t predict when they will attack.’ Sundberg draws praise
from international counterterrorism officials for his caution and concern,
because of a dangerous geyser of arrogance bubbling up in the global jihadist
community. For terrorism organizations, ‘the last 24 months were glorious,’
said Schindler emphatically.”



Syria



Hawar News Agency: SDF Capture One Of ISIS Terrorists In Deir Ezzor
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“SDF's Media Center stated, ‘On March 13th, our SDF Counter-terrorism Units
(YAT) arrested an ISIS terrorist in the Deir Ezzor region, who was responsible
for providing the terrorist cells of ISIS with intelligence for planning
terrorist acts targeting the region’s safety and stability. Based on precise
monitoring and with the participation of the International Coalition, our
forces spotted and raided the place where the terrorist was hiding, arresting
him and confiscating several weapons and military equipment that were in his
possession and they are as follows: 1- AK-47 /1/ 2- Smartphones /3/ 3-
Ammunition. Moreover, this operation is part of a series of ongoing successful
operations conducted by our forces and their partners against ISIS until
achieving the enduring defeat of ISIS cells in the region.’”



Pakistan



Associated Press: Pakistan: 8 Insurgents, 2 Kids Killed In Battle With Troops
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“Pakistani security forces attacked a militant hideout near the Afghan border
Wednesday, prompting a shootout that killed eight of the insurgents and two
children and wounded two soldiers, the military said. It was unclear whose fire
killed the two children during the raid on the outpost in South Waziristan, a
district in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The military, in its
statement about the violence, did not identify the militant group to which the
slain insurgents belonged. South Waziristan served as a base for the Pakistani
Taliban and other militants until a few years ago, when the army said it
cleared the region of insurgents. But occasional attacks have continued. The
Pakistani Taliban, also known as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, are a separate
insurgent group from the Afghan Taliban, although Pakistan’s militant groups
are often interlinked with those across the border in Afghanistan.”



Anadolu Agency: 8 Militants Killed In Military Operation In Northwest Pakistan
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“Pakistan Army said on Thursday that eight militants were killed in a
military operation in the northwestern South Waziristan tribal region, adding
that two children were also killed during the exchange of fire with the
terrorists. The operation was carried out on the basis of a tip in the remote
Zinghara area of South Waziristan, which borders Afghanistan and was once a
stronghold of the Pakistani Taliban's umbrella organization, Tehreek-e-Taliban
Pakistan (TTP). ‘Upon the presence of information of terrorists in the Zinghara
area of South Waziristan, security forces carried out an operation. During
intense exchange of fire between security forces and terrorists including
mortar fire, eight terrorists have been killed, whereas two soldiers are
injured,’ said a statement issued by Pakistan Army’s media wing.
‘Unfortunately, two children embraced martyrdom during the exchange of fire,’
the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) statement added, without providing
further details, including the affiliation of the killed militants.”



The Nation: ATC Grants Physical Remand Of Suspects Involved In KPO Attack Case
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“The Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) on Wednesday produced two operatives
of a banned outfit in anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Karachi Police Office
attack case. The court granted physical remand of the accused to the police
till March 21. It also ordered to produce accused before the court on March 22
with investigation report. According to the police report, the terrorists
attacked the KPO office on February 17. After hours-long gun battle, two
militants were gunned down by the police, while the third one blew himself up
on the third floor of the building, police said.”



Middle East



Associated Press: Israel Says Roadside Bomb Suspect May Have Come From Lebanon
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“The Israeli army said Wednesday that soldiers killed an armed man suspected
of entering the country from Lebanon and blowing up a car, raising the risk of
renewed tensions with Hezbollah. The security situation in Israel prompted
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to cut in half his planned two-day visit to
Germany this week, his office said. The incident unnerved Israelis, who
questioned on social media and elsewhere how someone with explosives could
travel dozens of kilometers inside Israel and set off a roadside bomb before
being detected. The army said soldiers stopped a car carrying the bombing
suspect at a checkpoint Monday shortly after a roadside explosion seriously
injured a driver near Megiddo Junction in the country’s north. The suspect was
wearing a suicide vest and had a rifle and a gun when he was stopped near the
border with Lebanon. The army said it shot and killed the man and is
questioning the driver.”



The Times Of Israel: Hezbollah Harassing Northern Residents With Lasers; IDF
Responds With Stink Bombs
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“Operatives from Lebanon’s Hezbollah terror group have been harassing people
in Israel by dazzling them with laser beams aimed over the border, prompting
the military to counter with another assault on the senses. For a while
Hezbollah activists were aiming lasers at the Israeli border town of Metulla,
targeting drivers and people walking outside, and even shining the beams into
people’s homes, Channel 12 reported Wednesday. There have been numerous
complaints about the problem. In addition, residents have complained of loud
explosions and the pouring of sewerage near the border, the report said. The
local council took the matter up with the army and it was raised with the UN
monitoring units that patrol the area, but no action was taken.”



Nigeria



Sahara Reporters: Global Terrorism Index Ranks IPOB In Nigeria Among World’s
10 Deadliest Terror Groups
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“The Global Terrorism Index (GTI) had ranked Biafran group, the Indigenous
People of Biafra (IPOB) as the 10th deadliest terror groups in the world in
2022. Although SaharaReporters could not ascertain the yardstick or the index
modules for the arrival at the conclusion, the report said IPOB was responsible
for 57 deaths in the year 2022, from 40 attacks with 16 persons injured.
According to the GTI report published annually by the Institute for Economics
and Peace (IEP), the Islamic State (IS) and its affiliates, were recorded as
the deadliest terrorist groups in the world in 2022. They were followed by
Al-Shabaab, ISK and Jamaat Nusrat Al-Islam wal Muslimeen (JNIM). IS, Alshabab,
ISK and JNIM have remained the deadliest terror group globally for the eighth
consecutive year, recording the most attacks and deaths in the world.”



Punch: Terrorists Invade Kaduna Community, Kill 10
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“No fewer than 10 persons have been allegedly killed by terrorists during an
invasion of the Langson community, in the Zango Kataf Local Government Area of
Kaduna State. PUNCH Metro gathered that during the attack which occurred three
days after the attack on the Ungwan Wakili community, four villagers were also
injured. The invaders were said to have stormed the community around 9pm on
Tuesday, shot sporadically and looted a shop in the area before they were
repelled by mobile police officers. The President, Atyap Community Development
Association, Sam Achie, while confirming the incident to our correspondent,
said 10 corpses had been recovered, adding that the corpses of other slain
victims were still missing.”



Somalia



Anadolu Agency: Somalia Military Court Executes 3 Terrorists By Firing Squad
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“Somalia’s military court executed three al-Qaeda-affiliated terror group
senior officers Wednesday by firing squad in the nation’s capital of Mogadishu.
Mohamed Abdi Nur Jirow, Sharif Mohamed Barqadle Ayanle Jeego, and Mohamed
Abdulle Abkow Omar Biyamalow were found guilty of carrying out bombings and
murders throughout the country and in particular in Mogadishu, according to the
court. Thirteen people from the al-Shabaab and ISIS/Daesh terrorist groups were
also executed in the northeastern semiautonomous state of Puntland earlier this
month. The executions ordered by a military court took place around Galkayo,
Garowe, and the state’s commercial capital of Bosaso. The court in the region
also executed six soldiers after they were convicted of carrying out killings
in Puntland.”



Africa



Arab News: Niger Says It Killed ‘30 Militants’, Arrests 960
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“Militant-hit Niger last week killed about 30 members of the Boko Haram group
and detained 960 followers, most of them women and children, who had fled
neighboring Nigeria, official sources said State TV channel Tele Sahel said
late Tuesday that on March 7 aerial surveillance spotted a ‘massive movement of
people’ along the Kamadougou Yoge River, which marks the border between the two
countries, who were heading toward Lke Chad. The report said they were members
of the Boko Haram militant group, who were fleeing their hideout in Sambisa
forest in northeast Nigeria after coming under pressure from their rivals, the
Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP). ISWAP split from Boko Haram in 2016
and rose to become the dominant group in the region’s long-running militant
turmoil. It seized swathes of territory under Boko Haram control after leader
Abubakar Shekau was killed in clashes with ISWAP in May 2021.”



Middle East Online: Morocco Arrests Three Extremists Affiliated To Islamic
State
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“Elements of the prefectural service of the Casablanca judicial police have
arrested, on Wednesday, in close coordination with the national brigade of the
judicial police and the General Directorate of Territorial Surveillance (DGST),
three extremists affiliated to the terrorist organization ‘Daesh’ (The Islamic
State group), for their alleged involvement in an intentional homicide in the
context of a terrorist project of which a policeman on duties was a victim. A
statement from the Directorate General of National Security (DGSN) said that
the security operations conducted simultaneously by the regional brigades of
interventions, under the supervision of officers of the judicial police in
charge of the investigation, resulted in the arrest of the two main suspects in
Casablanca and in the Sidi Hrazem region, near Fez, while the third defendant
was apprehended during a subsequent operation in Casablanca. According to the
initial investigation, the suspects have recently pledged allegiance to the
alleged emir of ‘Daesh’ and planned to participate in a local terrorist project
with the aim of seriously undermining public order, said the same source. The
three suspects had decided to attack a police officer in order to execute him
and take his weapon with the intention of robbing a bank branch, whose location
has been previously determined and the mode of attack defined, with the aim of
grabbing the money from this criminal act, it added.”



Prensa Latina: US Transfers And Trains Daesh Terrorists From Syria To Iraq
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“Local activists quoted by SANA national news agency reported that the
radicals are of different nationalities and were transferred from Al-Sinaa
prison in Hasakeh, controlled by the pro-US militia Syrian Democratic Forces
‘SDF’. They specified that the Pentagon caravan entered Iraq through the
illegal crossing of Semalka, after witch the radicals were taken to sites near
the U.S. bases inside the neighboring territory. According to sources, the
action follows the visit of a U.S. delegation of diplomats and military experts
to northeastern Syria. Damascus and Moscow have denounced on several occasions
that the United States trains and transfers terrorists who are used to attack
the Syrian army´s positions and civilian communities in the desert, in order to
destabilize and prolong the war in this Levantine nation.”



Morocco World News: Morocco Announces Arrest Of ISIS Suspects Involved In
Policeman Murder
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“Moroccan security services arrested on Wednesday three ISIS-affiliated
suspects for their involvement in the heinous murder of a policeman in the
district of Errahma in Casablanca. The arrest of the two main suspects took
place in simultaneous operations in the city of Casablanca and in Fez, said a
statement from the General Directorate of National Security (DGSN), adding that
the third suspect was arrested in Casablanca in a subsequent operation.
Preliminary data from the investigation show that the suspects had recently
declared allegiance to the emir of an ISIS terrorist cell and were plotting a
series of terror projects to undermine Morocco’s security. The terrorist plots
targeted security employees, including the policeman who was the victim of the
heinous murder.”



Australia



Arab News: Australian Woman Accused Of Joining Daesh Faces 10 Years In Jail
After Rescue From Syrian Camp <[link removed]>



“An Australian woman accused of joining Daesh to be with her husband, a
senior fighter and recruiter, has appeared in a regional court after being
repatriated from Syria’s Al-Roj camp. Mariam Raad, 31, appeared on Wednesday at
Young Local Court in New South Wales, wearing large sunglasses and a facemask.
If found guilty of the charges, she faces up to 10 years’ in jail. Prosecutors
are set to compile evidence including financial records and phone messages. The
31-year-old mother-of-four allegedly left Australia for Syria to join her
husband, a former mathematics teacher who became a top recruiter for Daesh
before his death in 2018.”



United Kingdom



Belfast Live: New IRA: Man Arrested By PSNI Terrorism Investigation Unit
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“Police investigating activities of the New IRA have arrested a man. The
42-year-old suspect was brought into custody on the morning of Wednesday March
15. He was taken to the Serious Crime Suite of Musgrave police station in
Belfast after his arrest in Derry. Police investigating activities of the New
IRA have arrested a man. The 42-year-old suspect was brought into custody on
the morning of Wednesday March 15. He was taken to the Serious Crime Suite of
Musgrave police station in Belfast after his arrest in Derry.”



Germany



WTOP: The Hunt: ‘Rare’ Mass Shooting In Germany Prompts Concerns About Mental
Illness, Terrorism, And Guns
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“On this week’s edition of ‘The Hunt with WTOP national security
correspondent J.J. Green,’ Dr. Hans-Jakob Schindler, senior director of the
Counter Extremism Project, says Germans are shocked and worried.”



Europe



In-Cyprus: Kurdish Political Refugee Wanted By Germany On Terrorism-Related
Charges Arrested At Larnaca Airport
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“A 48-year-old Kurdish man wanted by German authorities on terrorism-related
charges was arrested on Thursday at Larnaca Airport. The recognized political
refugee will be brought before a Larnaca district court for a remand order
withing the day, police also said. Insiders said Efstathios Efstathiou – the
lawyer who undertook the case – will ask the German authorities to justify the
request for his extradition. And that his client is not remanded in custody but
released on parole instead. In addition, a request will be made for the
essential documents sent by the Germans for the purpose of his extradition
which is to be translated into his mother tongue as well. The charges he is
facing are punishable by up to 10 years in prison, namely that he had
participated in a terrorist organisation.”



India



The Indian Express: 44 Terror Groups Banned, 4 This Year: MHA
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“THE MINISTRY of Home Affairs on Wednesday has informed the Rajya Sabha that
it has so far banned 54 terrorists and 44 terrorist organisations under the
Fourth Schedule and the First Schedule of the UAPA. Minister of State for Home
Nityanand Rai said that four organisations have been notified as terrorist
organizations under the UAPA this year and their names have been added in the
First Schedule of the Act. ‘These four organisations — The Resistance Front
(TRF), Peoples Anti-Fascist Front (PAFF), Jammu and Kashmir Ghaznavi Force
(JKGF) and Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF) have been involved in terrorism and have
committed and participated in various acts of terrorism in India,’ he said.
Sharing details of the four organisations, Rai said the TRF is a proxy outfit
of terrorist organisation Lashkar-e-Taiba and came into existence in 2019.”



Technology



BBC: Far-Right Scot Jailed For Replica Machine Gun Video
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“James Farrell, 32, shared racist and neo-Nazi views with other members of
the Oaken Hearth group. The former security guard also posted offensive
comments and photos online about black and Jewish people. Farrell, from
Priesthill, Glasgow, admitted charges under the Terrorism Act at the High Court
in Glasgow. He was arrested after he was identified through a photograph of a
right-wing book, which showed his dog in the background.”



BBC: Luton: Bomb-Making And Explosives Guides Found On Mobile Phone
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“Mohammed Adnan Saleem, 22, of Montrose Avenue, Luton, had saved several
banned documents, including a bomb-making manual and a file on explosives. He
was found guilty on three counts - brought under the Terrorism Act 2000 - after
a three-week trial at the Old Bailey in London. Saleem will be sentenced at the
same court on 28 April. Investigators seized two mobile phones, a laptop,
digital storage devices and a games console, which were examined by digital
forensics experts. He was charged with eight counts of collecting or possessing
material likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of
terrorism.”



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