Eye on Extremism
October 28, 2022
Associated Press: Antisemitism Decried Four Years After Pa. Synagogue Attack
“In what has become an annual ritual, Pittsburgh’s Jewish community Thursday honored the memory of the 11 Jews who were murdered on this date in the deadliest antisemitic attack in U.S. history. For many community leaders, their grief is mixed with dismay over the continued and growing incidents of antisemitism in the United States and beyond. That included the widely publicized comments of Ye, the rap superstar formerly known as Kanye West, who voiced antisemitic stereotypes in interviews and social media, including a tweet that he would soon go “death con 3 on JEWISH PEOPLE.” “It is horribly sad that this week as our community tries to remember and heal, we are retraumatized with antisemitism once again making the headlines,” said a statement from Laura Cherner, director of the Community Relations Council of the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh. “It is horrifying to see someone with such large platform casually espouse antisemitic conspiracy theories with such conviction and little regard for the violent impact his words may have,” she added.”
The New York Times: Somalia Asks U.S. To Step Up Drone Strikes Against Qaeda-Linked Fighters
“The Biden administration is weighing a request by Somalia that the United States loosen restrictions on its military drone strikes targeting Shabab militants in the troubled Horn of Africa nation, according to several U.S. officials. The request comes as a new Somali administration has launched an offensive against Al Shabab, with several local clan militias joining the central government’s fight. President Biden also recently redeployed 450 U.S. troops to Somalia, reversing former President Donald J. Trump’s abrupt withdrawal in January 2021. But the Somali government wants U.S. military operators to be able to attack groups of Shabab militants who might pose a threat to Somali forces — even if they are not firing upon them at the moment, the officials said. Such a move would further escalate American involvement in the long-running counterterrorism war. In May, Somalia elected a new president, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, who also held the role from 2012 to 2017. Since returning to office, he has made pushing back Al Shabab a top priority. He has ordered Somalia’s fledgling national army to go on the offensive in the countryside, is planning for the delivery of services to stabilize areas that have been newly liberated and is trying to forge stronger partnerships with both clan leaders and international allies.”
United States
CBS News: NYPD Warns Polling Sites Remain Potential Targets For Extremist Violence
“Less than two weeks before Election Day, the New York City Police Department warned that polling sites could be targets for violent extremists. A law enforcement bulletin obtained by CBS News on Thursday said racially and ethnically motivated violent extremists and anti-government extremists “continue to prioritize the targeting of political rallies, voting sites, poll workers, and election officials.” The NYPD said, however, it is not aware of any specific or credible threat to the city's polling sites, political candidates or election workers. The bulletin stated that hostile rhetoric and an abundance of generalized threats from likeminded people in chat groups, and other online forums “may effectively create echo chambers that circulate and reinforce false narratives and establish a permissive environment for violent action against election-related infrastructure and personnel.” The bulletin urged vigilance ahead of the midterm elections. Early voting in New York starts on Saturday and will continue through Election Day, which is Nov. 8.”
Newsweek: As Gas Prices Reshape Midterms, U.S. Extremists Plot To Attack Energy Sites
“As rising fuel costs threaten the political hopes of Democrats in the upcoming midterm elections, an ominous chorus of online chatter among domestic extremists in the dark corners of the Internet advocating attacks on critical infrastructure across the nation may pose an even greater threat to U.S. consumers. Newsweek has obtained two documents that offer an insight into the scope of the threat, including reports of several actual attacks that have happened in past few months. The first is a corporate intelligence security memo detailing at least 15 instances over the course of just over a year showing suspected extremists openly threatening and calling for acts of sabotage against energy sites, especially electricity substations, but also including other targets such as cell towers and pipelines. The material included documents that could serve to help groups and individuals in carrying out such attacks, including maps, manuals and instructions on the vulnerabilities of electricity infrastructure and readily accessible methods to disrupt their operation. Those behind the posts, which were shared across various online platforms and chat rooms, expressed ties to a number of anti-government ideologies, mostly far-right and neo-Nazi beliefs, but also including eco-militancy and at least one user who shared messaging supportive of the Islamic State militant group (ISIS).”
Iran
The Wall Street Journal: Iranian Government Shifts Blame For Terrorist Attack To Protesters
“Iran’s top military commander on Thursday blamed protesters demonstrating against the country’s clerical rule for a deadly terrorist attack in southern Iran where a gunman killed 15 people, promising to punish anyone who threatened public security. The explicit linking of the protest movement and the terrorist attack, for which Iranian authorities have presented no evidence, could signal an even more brutal crackdown by security forces against demonstrations that appeared to kick into a new gear Wednesday with tens of thousands of people filling the streets. Human-rights groups say more than 200 protesters have already been killed in clashes with security forces since the protests erupted in mid-September following the death in police custody of Mahsa Amini, a young woman detained for allegedly violating the country’s Islamic dress code. The protests have evolved from calls for an end to the mandatory headscarf into demands for the downfall of the Islamic Republic and its system of governance. The Iranian government has already announced that more than 500 protesters would be brought to trial this week, the first major legal action by authorities to suppress the unrest. Maj. Gen. Mohammad Bagheri, chief of staff of Iran’s armed forces, said that some of the protesters were “deceived” by Iran’s enemies into causing unrest and that the perpetrators of Wednesday’s attack on a mosque in the southern city of Shiraz would pay a price.”
Afghanistan
Reuters: Attack On Taliban Vehicle Carrying Military Employees Kills Five
“An attack on a vehicle in western Afghanistan killed five medical personnel employed by Taliban security forces on Thursday, a defence ministry spokesperson said. The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack, according to the militant group's channel on Telegram. Taliban Ministry of Defence spokesperson Enayatullah Khowrazmi said several employees were also injured in the attack. “This morning, unknown armed men attacked a ... vehicle carrying medical personnel of the 207th Al-Farooq Army Corps,” said Khowrazmi, referring to a Taliban military unit headquartered in the western province of Herat. Since taking over the country in 2021, the Taliban say they have focussed on restoring security to the war-torn nation. However, in recent months a number of attacks have taken place and the United Nations has said security is deteriorating. In the western city of Herat, a large blast hit near a mosque in September, killing 18 people including a pro-Taliban cleric and in July, an attack on a Al-Farooq 207 Corps vehicle killed two security force members. Several attacks have also taken place in Kabul, including an explosion this month that hit a mosque in the vicinity of the heavily fortified interior ministry compound, killing four people and wounding 25. It was not clear who behind those attacks. Other attacks in the country have been claimed by the Islamic State.”
Middle East
Arab News: Several Lions’ Den Militants Surrender To Palestinian Forces
“Several fighters from Nablus-based armed group the Lions’ Den (Arin Al-Usood) surrendered to Palestinian security services on Wednesday night. Palestinian sources said that the militants requested to communicate with the Nablus governor and the command of the Palestinian security services, demanding protection at security headquarters in Nablus. They requested an amnesty agreement similar to that which former Fatah military wing Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades received in 2007. The five senior leaders who surrendered are Mahmoud Al-Banna, considered by Israeli security services as the mastermind of the group, Mohammed Yaish, Mujahid Okouba, Imad Jaara and Al-Hafi, in addition to the two young men, Taysir Al-Kharraz and Al-Khammash, who were injured a month ago by an accidental explosion. However, the Lions’ Den rejected the surrender as a rogue incident, saying on its Telegram channel that it had not asked a security authority to receive any of its fighters, and that “whoever surrenders, this is his decision and his choice, we do not even discuss it, and we ask the citizens to stop circulating rumors and not insult any fighter who surrendered. We tell you again: We do not want to see on your faces any moment of sadness, as we get our strength from you. “Those who surrendered often received threats of assassination or arrest from Israeli intelligence agencies.”
Mali
AFP: Rights Group Says Hundreds Massacred In Mali By Islamic State Jihadists
“Armed groups affiliated with the Islamic State group have massacred hundreds of people in northeast Mali this year, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said Thursday, adding the state was not doing enough to protect civilians. Tens of thousands of villagers from the Menaka and Gao regions have fled their homes after losing their livestock and belongings in attacks since March, the rights group said in a report. The abuses have largely targeted the Daoussahak people, a Tuareg tribe, according to the watchdog. It said large swathes of Malian territory have come under the control of groups affiliated with the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS). “Islamist armed groups in northeast Mali have carried out terrifying and seemingly coordinated attacks on villages, massacring civilians, looting homes, and destroying property,” Jehanne Henry, HRW's senior Africa adviser, said in the report. “The Malian government needs to do more to protect villagers at particular risk of attack and provide them greater assistance.” The assertion contradicts claims by Mali's ruling junta, which seized power in 2020, that it has turned a corner in the fight against the insurgency that has wracked the country since 2012 -- and put jihadist groups on the run in recent months. The rights watchdog described attacks in 13 locations, all with similar modus operandi. In Inkalafane, in the Menaka region, “a large group of armed men arrived in an armed vehicle and riding motorcycles” on March 28.”
Africa
AFP: US Terror Alert In South Africa ‘Unfortunate’: President Ramaphosa
“South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa on Thursday said a warning by the US embassy of a possible weekend “terrorist” attack in the country’s financial hub in Johannesburg was “unfortunate.” “It is quite unfortunate the US issued that type of warning without having any type of discussion with us,” he said during a press conference. The US embassy on Wednesday posted the alert on its website and identified the potential target as Sandton, which is commonly referred to as the richest square mile on the African continent -- a collection of high-end shops and lofty office blocks and banks. It said the attack could occur there on Saturday. “Any form of alert will come from the government of the republic of South Africa and it is unfortunate that another government should issue such a threat as to send panic amongst our people,” said Ramaphosa. He was answering a question during a join press conference with the visiting Prime Minister of Spain Pedro Sanchez. He said Pretoria is “working around the clock to verify and to look very closely at this message that came from the United States.” The embassy said the US government had “received information that terrorists may be planning to conduct an attack targeting large gatherings of people at an unspecified location in the greater Sandton area of Johannesburg.”
Asharq Al-Awsat: Morocco Arrests 5 Sympathizers Of ISIS
“Central Bureau of Judicial Investigations (BCIJ) services have arrested five sympathizers of the terrorist ISIS group for their alleged involvement in planning individual or collective plots to seriously undermine public order. The arrests, which took place on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, were carried out on the basis of accurate information provided by the Directorate General of Territorial Surveillance (DGST), said a statement released by the BCIJ. BCIJ special forces have initiated their intervention in separate operations targeting the five suspects, aged between 20 and 45 years, in Douar Habata Benmansour in the province of Kenitra, Sidi Yahya Zaer, Dchira in Inzegane Ait Melloul, Bouaboud in Chichaoua and Casablanca, specified the same source. According to the investigation's preliminary data, each of these suspects had pledged his “allegiance” to ISIS and prepared terrorist plots against vital services in Morocco, using explosive material, or targeting security institutions as part of “individual terrorism” operations. The probe also revealed that some of the suspects were receiving training in the manufacture of explosive devices, the statement indicated. Security services seized a shotgun and ammunition at the place of residence of the suspect arrested in Kenitra, in addition to weapons.”
WTOP News: The Hunt: 10 Soldiers Killed In Burkina Faso During Al-Qaida Linked Violence
“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, suggests the U.S. should be concerned after 10 soldiers are killed in Burkina Faso.”
Australia
ABC News Australia: Return Of Islamic State Brides To Australia Causes Fear For Those Who Escaped The Brutality
“Mohamed Ibrahim can barely bring himself to recall his run-in with so-called Islamic State fighters. With tears in his eyes, the husband and father-of-three spoke about the eight militants who stopped his bus in Syria in late 2017 after living under IS rule for years, pressing a rifle to his cheek. “I started to sweat. My heart was pounding,” Mr Ibrahim said. “I thought that the men that were down on the road, they were so young, they were maybe 16 years old. They were not adults. So, if they were told to shoot, they would shoot me.” The thought of bringing IS-linked Australian women and 44 children back from a detention camp, called Roj, in the north of Syria, terrifies the former ambulance driver. The first group of four women and 13 children were taken from the camp on Thursday afternoon and have boarded a plane home. His wife Maisaa Mhanna said the brutality of IS had been hard for them to escape. “One woman didn't want to wear the complete chador covering [an Islamic clothing that covers the entire face leaving only the eyes exposed] and they shaved her head right in front of us, they said next time she would be slaughtered,” she said. The couple and their three children fled Syria in 2019 and made it to Sydney via Lebanon last year. The IS brides, who are the widows or wives of dead and imprisoned militants, had been meeting with government agencies inside the Roj camp ahead of their repatriation flight, according to a source close to the families.”
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