Eye on Extremism
March 24, 2023
The New York Times: ISIS Matchmaker Gets 18 Years In First Trial Under N.Y. Terrorism Law
“After ISIS promised in 2014 that the world would ‘hear and understand the meaning of terrorism,’ fervent western support came from a Jamaican preacher once imprisoned in Britain for urging violence, and later expelled from Kenya by officials fearing he would encourage radicalism. Over the next three years, according to the Manhattan district attorney’s office, the preacher, Abdullah el-Faisal, helped ISIS any way he could, praising its ideology in lectures, publishing propaganda online and even acting as a marriage broker for its fighters. Mr. Faisal was convicted this year of conspiracy and supporting terrorism after prosecutors presented evidence that he had discussed ISIS with an undercover New York City police officer and given her a phone number for a fighter in Syria. On Thursday, Justice Maxwell Wiley of State Supreme Court in Manhattan sentenced Mr. Faisal to 18 years in prison, saying he had ‘continually advocated for murder, kidnapping and other violent crimes.’”
CNN: Antisemitic Incidents In The US Are At The Highest Level Recorded Since The 1970s
“Antisemitic incidents in the US reached their highest level last year since the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), a civil rights non-governmental organization, began recording them in 1979. The incidents including assault, vandalism and harassment increased by more than a third in just one year and reached nearly 3,700 cases in 2022, a new ADL report published Thursday found. And the upward trend is alarming. Last October, a former student killed a University of Arizona professor who he believed to be Jewish, according to the ADL report. This February, a man was charged with two hate crimes after he allegedly shot two people who were exiting two separate synagogues in Los Angeles.”
United States
The National: ISIS Would Return To Syria In 'One To Two Years' If US Forces Leave, Says Top General
“The head of US Central Command defended Washington's presence in Syria on Thursday, warning that without American troops, ISIS would return to the war-torn country within two years. ‘You could see a breakout of the prisons, you could see the radicalisation inside Al Hol [detention camp] and it is our estimate that ISIS would return in one to two years,’ Gen Michael ‘Erik’ Kurilla told the House Armed Services Committee as he faced questions about what would happen if US troops were to leave Syria. About 900 US troops are based in Syria, predominantly in the east, supporting partner Syrian Democratic Forces in countering ISIS through Washington's Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR). Despite being territorially defeated in Syria in 2019, the US-designated terrorist group continues to wage a low-level insurgency across northern Iraq and Syria, and often attacks members of the Kurdish-led SDF.”
Chicago Tribune: State Awards $20 Million To Upgrade Security At Religious And Cultural Institutions Deemed At Risk For Terrorism
“With heightened concerns about extremism and hate crimes throughout the U.S., Illinois officials said Thursday they have awarded $20 million in grants to synagogues, mosques and other religious and cultural institutions ‘deemed at high risk of a terrorist attack.’ The grants, which also were awarded to reproductive health centers, must be used for ‘target-hardening activities,’ which include active shooter training, the purchase and installation of security equipment and the hiring of security guards, according to Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s office. ‘This $20 million investment will provide grantees — from mosques and synagogues to education centers and cultural institutions — the resources they need to enhance safety measures amidst the rising tide of extremism,’ Pritzker said in a news release. The grants were made through the 2022 Nonprofit Security Grant Program from the Illinois Emergency Management Agency.”
Syria
Daily Mail: US Contractor Is Killed In Iranian Suicide Drone Strike In Syria - As Biden Orders Retaliation 'Precision Airstrikes' Taking Out 11 Militants Tied To Revolutionary Guard
“An American contractor has been killed and five service members were wounded when an Iranian suicide drone struck a facility on a coalition base in northeast Syria on Thursday, the Pentagon said. In retaliation, President Biden ordered the U.S. Central Command forces to launch 'precision airstrikes' against facilities used by groups affiliated with Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps, killing 11 pro-Iran fighters. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said the airstrikes against the IRGC, a wing of the Iranian military which is blacklisted as a terrorist group by the US, was carried out by F-15 fighter jets. 'The airstrikes were conducted in response to today's attack as well as a series of recent attacks against Coalition forces in Syria' by groups affiliated with the Revolutionary Guard, Austin said. 'No group will strike our troops with impunity.' Earlier on Thursday, a drone strike killed a US contractor and injured five service members, as well as another American contractor at a maintenance facility on a Coalition base near al-Hasakah in northeast Syria. They are said to be in a stable condition, the Washington Post reported, citing a senior military official.”
Turkey
Daily Sabah: Türkiye Nabs 6 Terrorists Among Others On Greek Border
“Turkish authorities have caught a total of 20 people, including six terrorists, in the northwestern Edirne province bordering Greece, the Defense Ministry announced Thursday. Greek border guards were pushing the group back into Türkiye when Turkish border units grabbed them, the ministry said. The authorities later understood the group included five members of the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ) and one other terrorist belonging to the PKK/YPG. Greece, the primary destination for irregular migrants seeking a gateway to Europe, has also been an access point for FETÖ suspects since the July 15, 2016 coup attempt perpetrated by the group’s military infiltrators. Türkiye has since stepped up investigations into the group’s wrongdoings, as well as fugitives.”
Middle East
Associated Press: Palestinian Killed In Israeli Military Raid In West Bank
“Israeli security forces killed a Palestinian militant during a raid in the northern West Bank on Thursday, Palestinian health officials said, the latest escalation of violence in what has been the deadliest start of a year for Palestinians in the occupied territory in more than two decades. Israeli forces stormed into the northern city of Tulkarem, home to an emerging militant group with ties to the armed offshoot of the nationalist Fatah party. The Palestinian Health Ministry said that 25-year-old Amir Abu Khadija was shot multiple times in the head and legs The Tulkarem branch of Fatah’s Al Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades claimed Abu Khadija as its leader. The Israeli military said Abu Khadija was wanted for recent shooting attacks on Israeli settlements and security forces.”
Somalia
Garowe Online: Somalia: Al-Shabaab Suffers Massive Losses In Jubaland
“Jubaland state continued with operations against Al-Shabaab even in the middle of a planned slow-down by the federal government, targeting the militants in the latest offensive which comes days after the Jana Cabdalle battle which left several militants dead just weeks after the town was taken by the group. According to reports, the regional forces of Jubaland received backing from the 16th Brigade and the 5th Unit, in an operation that was conducted in the volatile Lower Jubba region. The operation, Somalia said, left five Al-Shabaab militants dead and several injured. In an interview with the media, the Commander Arab Dheeg Ahmed of the 5th unit of the 16th Battalion reported that joint forces conducted operations in several areas, including Bibi, Malik Dahajo, Beerhani, Quds, and Yaaq Dabayl. The region was a major base of Al-Shabaab.”
Africa
Reuters: At Least 15 Security Force Members Killed In North Burkina Faso Attack
“At least 15 Burkina Faso soldiers and army auxiliaries were killed in an attack in the north of the country on Wednesday, three security sources said on Thursday. The attack took place in the West African country's Centre-North region, a hotbed of jihadist activity linked to al Qaeda and Islamic State, and was carried out by unidentified armed assailants, the sources said. One source said the troops were guarding water pipes that are frequently destroyed by the groups, which have blocked access to several parts of Burkina Faso's north and east. Insurgents there have mined roads, besieged towns, wrecked water facilities and undermined efforts to deliver food and supplies to trapped civilians. The government spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment on Wednesday's attack.”
The North Africa Post: Niger’s Army Eliminates 20 Boko Haram Militants Near Border With Nigeria
“The Nigerien army has killed 20 Boko Haram fighters near the border with Nigeria, AFP news agency reported. Military operations bulletin in the Diffa region (south-east of Niger) consulted by the agency indicated that the army last week wiped out in an ‘air-land sweep’ operation the bases of the Islamic State in West Africa group (ISWAP, a splinter faction of Boko Haram) installed in the Matari forest in Nigeria from where attacks against towns and military positions in Niger are planned. The bulletin also notes that the operation aimed to ‘maintain pressure on ISWAP” and “cut its supply lines’. Some 20 ‘terrorists have been reportedly neutralized” and “83 suspected Boko Haram terrorists’ were captured and handed over to the Nigerian authorities. The operation was conducted from March 13 to 19 by the Nigerien military of the Mixed Multinational Force (MMF) an 8,500-strong force launched in July 2015 by Niger, Nigeria, Chad, and Cameroon, to fight armed jihadist groups. In a separate note, the army claims to have intercepted and handed over to Nigerien authorities a total of 1,121 suspected Boko Haram members, including women and children.”
United Kingdom
BBC: Five Men Arrested For Terrorism Offences
“Five men have been arrested on suspicion of terrorism offences. Counter terrorism police detained the men in Worcester, Birmingham, Leicester and Bradford on Tuesday. The men aged between 26 and 67 were arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit offences under the provisions of Section 15 of the Terrorism Act 2000 to provide money/property for use in acts of terrorism. Police said there was no immediate threat to the safety of the public. All were transported to the West Midlands for questioning and have since been bailed pending further inquiries, West Midlands Police said.”
Canada
Reuters: Canada Arrests Teen Over 'Terrorism' Allegations, Cites FBI Intelligence
“Canadian police on Thursday arrested a teenage male in Montreal, citing ‘allegations of terrorism’ based on U.S. FBI intelligence. ‘Based on intelligence from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), this morning RCMP officers arrested Mohamed Amine Assal, 18, of Ville Saint-Lauren,’ the Royal Canadian Mounted Police said. Police said their operation was aimed at disrupting Assal's ‘suspicious activities’ and making him sign a peace bond. The investigation is ongoing and charges may be laid at a later date, the police said on Thursday.”
Technology
Vice News: Christian Crowdfunding Site Hosting Neo-Nazi Trying To Build Whites-Only Community
“…Despite those credentials, GiveSendGo, a site that promotes itself as the ‘#1 Free Christian Fundraising Site’, has yet to boot Pohlhaus from their platform. GiveSendGo was notified at least twice last year about the avowed neo-Nazi and his affiliations to the violent far-right. In September, an analyst at the Counter Extremism Project (CEP), a non-profit terrorism watchdog, contacted GiveSendGo to say Pohlhaus was using it as a platform for making money and establishing a white nationalist community. Pohlhaus served in the Marines for four years in the 2000s and gained prominence among the far-right when he promoted a countrywide and racist banner drop on the first anniversary of George Floyd’s murder. Pohlhaus then planned a migration among some of his followers to turn Maine into an all-white ethnostate. He took the cause to GiveSendGo, where Pohlhaus began to raise money for a homestead in a remote part of the state that could one day serve as a community and a place where his group can ‘train.’ So far, records from the fundraising site show he has accumulated just over $2000, with two large donations over $800 each, coming nearly two months ago (the campaign also received 23 ‘prayers’, which is a button on GiveSendGo pages).”
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