Eye on Extremism / April 23, 2019

[Boats]

Eye on Extremism / April 23, 2019
RE: info@counterextremism.com


The New York Times: Sri Lanka Bombings Live Updates: ISIS Claims Responsibility For Attacks

“The Islamic State claimed responsibility on Tuesday for the Easter Sunday bombings at churches and hotels in Sri Lanka that killed more than 300 people. The group’s Amaq news agency called the bombers “Islamic State fighters.” A government official said the bombings were retaliation for the killing of 50 people last month at mosques in New Zealand, but he did not offer any evidence for the claim. He said they were carried out by two Islamist extremist groups. Sri Lanka’s highest-ranking Roman Catholic official, the archbishop of Colombo, joined elected officials and others in chastising the government for a serious lapse in security before the suicide bombings. The government was alerted that terrorists planned to attack churches, but failed to take action against them or pass on the warning. The first funerals were held at a damaged church in western Sri Lanka, where as many as 100 people were killed. The coffins, many bearing the remains of children, were interred as the police raised the death toll to 321.”

The Wall Street Journal: Sri Lanka Bombers Were Reacting To New Zealand Mosque Shootings, Government Says

“Terrorist group Islamic State claimed responsibility for the coordinated Easter bombings of churches and hotels that killed more than 300 people in Sri Lanka, as investigators worked to identify links with local militants who officials believe helped carry out the attacks. “The executors of the attack that targeted citizens of coalition states and Christians in Sri Lanka two days ago were Islamic State fighters,” Islamic State said in a brief statement through its affiliated news agency Amaq, which was distributed by security-consulting firm SITE. Investigators scrambled on Tuesday to arrest suspects and understand the scope of the organization behind the attacks. Sri Lanka’s government has said it received warnings from security officials in India and the U.S. on April 4 that they had picked up indications attacks were being planned in Sri Lanka. While those warnings didn’t include the name of a group, Sri Lankan security officials linked them to a local radical group, National Thowheeth Jamath, in a circular it distributed to police authorities on April 9.”

DW: US Offers $10 Million For Information On Hezbollah Financing

“Anyone who can offer information that would help the US disrupt Hezbollah's finances could get a $10 million reward. The US wants information on donors, as well as businesses controlled by the Shiite militant movement. The United States on Monday offered a reward of up to $10 million (€8.9 million) for information that would allow the US to disrupt the finances of Lebanon's Shiite militant movement Hezbollah. The State Department said it would give money to anyone who could provide intelligence that allows the United States to disrupt Hezbollah in key ways, including information on Hezbollah's donors, on financial institutions that assist its transactions and on businesses controlled by the movement. The State Department listed three alleged Hezbollah financiers as examples of the activities they are hoping to stop.”

The New York Times: Wisconsin Woman Used Hacked Facebook Accounts To Recruit For ISIS, Prosecutors Say

“Two people in Wisconsin have pleaded guilty to crimes related to providing support for the Islamic State, including a woman who used hacked Facebook accounts to share instructions for building explosives and mixing poison, the authorities said Monday. Prosecutors said the two cases were unrelated. The woman, Waheba Issa Dais, 46, a permanent legal resident of the United States who was born in Israel, pleaded guilty to attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State, also known as ISIS. She used a series of hacked Facebook accounts to pledge allegiance to ISIS, recruit new members for the terrorist group, encourage supporters who said they wanted to launch terrorist attacks, and share plans for building explosives, prosecutors said. “Remember Boston Marathon bombing?” Ms. Dais asked an undercover F.B.I. officer on Facebook, according to a plea deal she signed last month. “It was very easy to make. All it needs is a pressure cooker, shrapnel and explosives. Join my channel and research.” Matthew D. Krueger, the United States attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, said in a statement that Ms. Dais “promoted ISIS’s hateful, violent agenda and provided detailed instructions on how to harm innocent people” from her home in the Milwaukee suburb of Cudahy.”

Reuters: Attack On Mali Army Base Kills 11 Soldiers

“Gunmen attacked a Malian army base in a dawn raid on Sunday, killing 11 soldiers and burning the camp in west-central Mali, the army and a local lawmaker said. No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack. Central Mali has in the past few years been overrun by jihadists with links to al Qaeda. The unidentified armed assailants attacked the base in Guire district at 0500 local time (0500 GMT) after approaching in a convoy of 11 vehicles, local lawmaker Niame Keita said. “They burnt the camp and took equipment,” he said. In a statement, the defence ministry confirmed the attack and said 11 soldiers were killed and more were wounded. Keita had earlier said 12 were reported killed. In March, an al Qaeda affiliate said it was behind a similar overnight attack on an army base in the central region of Mopti in which 16 soldiers were killed. Escalating violence led to the resignation last week of the entire Malian government. The authorities have come under fire for failing to beat back militants and disarm militias, after a massacre of 157 villagers by an ethnic vigilante group shocked the nation in March. Both Mali and neighbouring Burkina Faso have been hit by the spike in hostilities fuelled by Islamist militants seeking to extend their influence over the Sahel, an arid region between Africa’s northern Sahara desert and its southern savannas.”

The Washington Post: Sri Lanka’s Social Media Shutdown Illustrates Global Discontent With Silicon Valley

“The Sri Lankan government’s decision to shutter access to social media sites after Sunday’s deadly bombings may mark a turning point in how countries around the world perceive Silicon Valley — and their willingness to act to stop the spread of falsehoods online. A decade ago, Facebook, Twitter and their social media peers helped spearhead pro-democracy uprisings that toppled dictators throughout the Middle East, and their services were seen as a way to help in catastrophes, allowing authorities a vehicle to convey crucial information and organize assistance. Today, though, those same social media sites appear to some as a force that can corrode democracy as much as promote it, quickly spreading disinformation to an audience of millions and fueling ethnic violence before authorities can take steps to stop it. That sense is heightened by tech giants’ seeming inability to strike a balance between free expression and protecting the public from harm.”

United States

The Washington Examiner: The US Navy Sends A Double Aircraft Carrier Message To Iran

“In a rare double-up deployment close to Iran, the U.S. Navy currently has two carrier strike groups in the Mediterranean Sea. Just a few days sail from the Arabian Sea, the Stennis and Lincoln carrier strike groups conducted joint exercises last week. The Navy's current posture gives President Trump significantly added means of deterrence and action against Iran. It's a relevant concern in that U.S.-Iran tensions are escalating quickly. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Monday ended U.S. sanctions waivers on nations which import Iranian oil. Threatening the already fragile Iranian economy, that action makes the Iranian hardliners likely to escalate against America. Indeed, they're saying as much. Responding to Pompeo, the head of the revolutionary guard corps navy threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz, which controls the Persian Gulf's vital energy supply highway to the world. Also evincing Iran's increasing fury, a new hardliner commanding officer of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps was appointed over the weekend.”

Syria

The Washington Post: After IS Fall, Some Women Who Joined Plead To Come Home

“They came from around the world, four women drawn to the Islamic State group’s “caliphate.” They said it was out of misguided religious faith or naivety or youthful rebellion, but whatever the reason, they tied their lives to a group that became notorious for its atrocities. Now after the militants’ defeat, they say they made a mistake and are pleading to come home. They are among tens of thousands of Syrian, Iraqi and foreign women and children who belonged to the caliphate now held in camps in northern Syria overseen by the U.S.-backed, Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces. Many remain die-hard supporters of IS. Inside the camps, they have tried to recreate the caliphate. Some women have re-formed units of the militants’ feared religious police, the “Hisba,” and enforce rules and punishments on other residents. The four women interviewed by The Associated Press at al-Hol and Roj camps insisted they had not been active IS members, and they all said their husbands were not fighters. Those denials and much in their accounts could not be independently confirmed. “How could I have been so stupid, and so blind?” Kimberly Polman, a 46-year-old Canadian woman, said of her decision to join the caliphate. To many, their expressions of regret likely ring hollow or self-serving.”

The Washington Examiner: ISIS Is On The Rebound, Establishing 'Attack Zones' And 'Support Zones'

“ISIS’S ZONE OFFENSE: ISIS may have lost its last “zone of territorial control” in Syria last month, but its Plan B is gaining momentum across Iraq and Syria, according to an analysis by the Institute for the Study of War. A new map prepared by ISW breaks down ISIS’ resurgent campaign into three zones: a small “control zone” where the group still exerts some form of physical or psychological pressure on the local population, various “support zones” where it is free of significant military action against it, and “attack zones” where ISIS is conducting offensive maneuvers. IN SYRIA: “ISIS has intensified and expanded its resurgent attack campaign targeting the rear areas of the SDF [Syrian Democratic Forces] in Northern Syria,” the ISW analysis says. “ISIS is concentrating its attacks along two primary sections of the ground line of communication between Deir ez-Zour Province and Hasaka Province in Eastern Syria.”

The Wall Street Journal: Syrian Fuel Shortage Squeezes Assad’s Loyalists

“Syria is experiencing a worsening fuel shortage as a result of Western sanctions, bringing some major cities to a near standstill and causing some of the war’s worst economic circumstances for President Bashar al-Assad’s loyalists. In choking off much of the Syrian government’s access to gasoline, diesel and heating oil, U.S. officials and other opponents of the Assad regime are hoping to pressure it to make compromises after eight years of conflict. Mr. Assad has long counted on a significant loyalist faction to support his grip on power, but those people are now coming under severe pressure. Damascus is plagued by long lines at gas stations that have caused entire streets to be clogged with waiting vehicles as hundreds of motorists line up even before gas stations open and fuel tanker trucks arrive. Fights increasingly break out among frustrated patrons, especially when regime officials or militiamen jump the line to fill up, a reporter witnessed. One resident described the city as paralyzed.”

Extra.ie: Jihadi Bride Lisa Smith ‘Trained Young Girls In Syria To Use Weapons’

“ISIS bride Lisa Smith allegedly trained children in weapons while she was in Syria, sources who are investigating the activities of the group have told Extra.ie. The Louth woman, who is being held with her two-year-old daughter in Al Hawl camp on the Syria-Iraq border, she never held a weapon while there, despite 10 years of Irish military training. Syrian sources have listed her as a member of a Western-only female military battalion, led by notorious jihadi Sally Jones. According to the not-for-profit Counter Extremism Project, Jones was given permission by Isis to start the battalion and plan to carry out attacks in the West.”

Iran

The Wall Street Journal: A Goal For Iran’s Oil Exports: Zero

“President Trump wants to exert “maximum pressure” on Iran, which is why he is giving the sanctions screws another firm twist. Any country that imports Iranian oil will soon face U.S. penalties—with no exceptions. Last year seven nations and Taiwan were granted waivers through May 2, giving them time to adjust supply lines. These waivers won’t be extended, the State Department said Monday, helping to push the benchmark oil price to $74 a barrel, a nearly six-month high. Italy, Greece and Taiwan have already ended their Iranian oil imports. That leaves five countries at risk of U.S. sanctions: China, India, Turkey, Japan and South Korea. Two are close allies, and no doubt their leaders will protest this stiff medicine. But the Trump Administration has given them enough warning, not to mention a six-month waiver. That’s plenty of time to make other arrangements.”

ABC News: Iranian Parliament Labels Entire US Military As Terrorist

“Iranian media say the parliament has approved a bill that labels all U.S. military forces as terrorist. The legislation is a step further after Iranian lawmakers last week approved a bill labelling U.S. troops in the Mideast as terrorist, a day after the U.S. terrorism designation for Iran's Revolutionary Guard came into effect. The report by the semi-official ISNA news agency says 173 out of 215 lawmakers at the session voted for the bill on Tuesday. The bill also demands the Iranian government take unspecified action against other governments that formally back the U.S. designation. Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Israel have all supported the Trump administration's designation. The U.S. on Monday said it will no longer exempt any countries from U.S. sanctions if they continue to buy Iranian oil.”

Jerusalem Post: U.S. Looking To Sign New Agreement With Iran: Brian Hook

“The United States is looking to sign a new agreement with Iran that covers its nuclear and missile programs, the country’s regional aggression and the arbitrary detention of foreign nationals including Americans, according to US Special Representative for Iran Brian Hook. In an interview with Al Arabiya English, Hook said, “That is the kind of deal we need. We are ready to negotiate something like that.” Hook was speaking on Monday, the same day that Washington declared it would start ending waivers to Tehran’s oil customers. “You can either work with the United States or you can work with Iran, but you can’t do both,” Hook told the Saudi-owned television news channel. He noted that the United States has denied the Iranian regime more than $10 billion in revenue and expects that amount to increase dramatically, with the support of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, countries that Hook said, “share a lot of the United States’ national security goals when it comes to Iran."

Iraq

Kurdistan 24: ISIS Torches Village In Nineveh As MP Warns Of Group’s Growing Activity

“Suspected Islamic State members on Monday assaulted an Iraqi village west of Nineveh province near the Syrian border, prompting locals to flee, a security source said. “Da’esh [ISIS] gunmen stormed the Madfa’ village” and “set fire to a number of houses in the village in search of individuals wanted by the [terrorist] organization,” the source told Kurdistan 24. Madfa’ is part of al-Ba’aj, the westernmost district of Nineveh on the Syrian border. The attackers “forced the residents to flee,” the source added. The exact hours of the incident are unclear and whether security forces deployed to the village were able to facilitate the return of the villagers remains unknown. The incident occurred hours after a representative from Nineveh issued a statement early Monday directed at Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi. In the statement, Ahmad al-Jarba, a lawmaker from Nineveh in the Iraqi Parliament, warned of growing Islamic State activity in remote communities the terrorist organization once controlled. He also called for immediate intervention to protect local civilians. “In a strong push during the past few days and now,” Islamic State gunmen have begun “kidnapping people” and “targeting a number of villages in al-Ba’aj District,” the lawmaker stated.”

Iraqi News: Iraqi Security Thwart Islamic State Infiltration Scheme In Anbar

”Iraqi security forces foiled on Monday a plot by Islamic State militants to sneak into Ramadi city in Anbar, a security source said as the country steps up efforts to eliminate the dormant cells of the terrorist group. “Security forces received intelligence data on the presence of IS militants besieged in the desert areas, west of Anbar, who seek to infiltrate into some liberated areas in Ramadi,” the source told Almaalomah news website. “The security forces immediately launched a campaign to chase IS militants and arrested many of them in al-Taamim and Ramadi districts,” the source said. In December 2017, former Iraqi prime minister Haidar al-Abadi announced full liberation of Iraqi lands, declaring the end of war against IS members. Iraqi troops retook all the territory captured by the extremists in 2014 and 2015.”

Turkey

The Wall Street Journal: Erdogan Cracks Down On Dissent In Turkey Despite Pledge For Unity

“A group of Turkish journalists said they face prison time after their convictions were upheld, a measure of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s unrelenting crackdown on the media despite recent pledges to forge unity in the highly polarized nation. Mr. Erdogan said last week that the time had come to turn the page on a prolonged sequence of electoral contests and focus on repairing an economy mired in recession. While he and his ruling Justice and Development Party, or AKP, prevailed in the June presidential and legislative votes, the opposition Republican People’s Party, or CHP, claimed the two biggest prizes in the March 31 municipal elections, Istanbul and Ankara, the capital. The political climate in Turkey remains volatile. In the past few days, a schoolteacher was returned to prison for having urged the government to spare children’s lives during the fight against militants from the Kurdistan Workers’ Party; the AKP filed a second package of fraud claims with Turkey’s national election board, seeking a revote in Istanbul; and the leader of the CHP was attacked during a soldier’s funeral. Kati Piri, a lawmaker with the European Parliament and the Turkey rapporteur, blamed hostile rhetoric by ruling-party officials for the tense climate.”

Afghanistan

Voice Of America: US, Taliban See 'No Reason' To Slow Down Afghan Peace Talks

“The U.S. special envoy for Afghanistan reconciliation, Zalmay Khalilzad, has set off on another regional trip that will also take him to Qatar for a new round of negotiations with the Taliban, aimed at finding a political end to the Afghan war. The insurgent group was quick to welcome the announcement, saying it remains committed to the Afghan peace process with the United States and anticipates further progress when the two sides reconvene. “In Doha, he will continue to press forward on negotiations with the Taliban to reach a consensus on core national security issues, and urge their participation in an inclusive intra-Afghan dialogue,” the State Department said Monday while announcing details of Khalilzad's plans. The visit comes amid Washington's disappointment over the cancellation of much-awaited Afghan talks with the Taliban that were to have been hosted by the Qatari capital on April 20. The two-day meeting was called off at the last minute after insurgent officials objected to the unusually large size of the 250-member Afghan delegation. Khalilzad, however, has attempted to play down concerns the collapse of the much-touted dialogue has dealt a blow to the U.S.-led peace mission.”

Xinhua: Fresh Operation Of Afghan Forces Kill 7 Militants In Eastern Province

“Seven militants including an eminent Taliban commander were killed in Nejrab district of eastern Kapisa province, an army statement said on Monday. The operations, according to the statement, were launched against Taliban fighters in Afghania Dara of Nejrab district on Sunday and so far seven armed militants including their commander Mawlawi Adil were killed and a few more injured. No security personnel and civilians were hurt in the ongoing operations, the statement said. The Taliban militants have not commented on the report.”

Pakistan

Radio Farda: Pakistani Pm 'Will Not Allow Militants' To Operate From Its Territory Against Iran

“Pakistan will not “allow any militant group to operate” from its soil, prime minister Imran Khan said on Monday, April 22, while on a visit to Iran. In a joint press conference with Iranian president Hassan Rouhani in Tehran, Khan said the problem of terrorism was creating “differences” between the two countries and that is why he was in Iran to “resolve this issue”. Citing a militant attack on Pakistani security forces in Balochistan on April 18, he said Pakistan’s security chief will be meeting his Iranian counterpart today to discuss how both countries can cooperate to not allow their territories to be used by militant groups. The Pakistani prime minister is visiting Iran at a time when relations between the two countries are strained and both sides have blamed each other for providing sanctuary to militant groups. Rouhani on his part announced that agreement has been reached with Pakistan to set up a rapid reaction force to ensure security at the volatile border areas. The foreign minister of Pakistan blamed an alliance of Baloch separatists for the attack in which 14 security personnel were killed. Shah Mehmood Qureshi told reporters in on April 20 that Islamabad seeks action against Baloch militants based in Iran.”

Yemen

The National: Yemen: US Demands Houthis Release Bahai Prisoners

“The US has demanded that Houthis rebels release all the detained followers of Yemen’s Bahai faith, after reports they are being mistreated and tortured while in custody. Houthi leaders are indicting dozens of Bahais, including Hamed bin Hayadara, who has been in Houthi detention in Sanaa since 2013. The prominent leader was sentenced to death by a Houthi court for charges of espionage and apostasy in January 2018. Members of the community describe the accusations as “baseless”. “We are deeply concerned about credible reports that the Houthis continue to severely mistreat, arbitrarily detain, and torture Bahais in Yemen,” US State Department spokesperson Morgan Ortagus said on Monday. “This persistent pattern of vilification, oppression, and mistreatment by the Houthis of Bahais in Yemen must end.”

Human Rights Watch: Yemen: Houthi Landmines Kill Civilians, Block Aid

“Houthi forces’ widespread use of landmines along Yemen’s western coast since mid-2017 has killed and injured hundreds of civilians and prevented aid groups from reaching vulnerable communities, Human Rights Watch said today. Yemeni law and the 1997 Mine Ban Treaty ban all use of antipersonnel mines; anti-vehicle mines have been used indiscriminately in violation of the laws of war, posing dangers to civilians long after hostilities have ceased. Landmines laid in farmlands, villages, wells, and roads have killed at least 140 civilians, including 19 children, in the Hodeida and Taizz governorates since 2018, according to the Civilian Impact Monitoring Project, a humanitarian data source. Landmines and improvised explosive devices (IEDs) have prevented humanitarian organizations from reaching populations in need, left farms and wells inaccessible, and harmed civilians trying to return home.”

Saudi Arabia

Al Jazeera: Saudi Arrests 13 Linked To Thwarted ISIL Attack: State Media

“Authorities in Saudi Arabia have arrested 13 individuals in connection with a foiled attack by fighters from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL or ISIS) group on a state security building north of the capital, Riyadh, according to the Saudi Press Agency. The arrests on Monday took place during a dawn raid, the SPA reported, citing a spokesman for the State Security Service. All 13 individuals that were arrested are Saudi nationals, according to the SPA. The arrests came a day after security forces said they had thwarted the planned assault on the facility in Zulfi, a small city about 250 kilometres northwest of Riyadh. Three policemen were wounded in a gun battle while defending the building, the SPA reported. ISIL claimed responsibility for the attack through its Amaq website. Security forces said they killed four alleged ISIL fighters who were behind the operation and later raided a nearby rest-house they said the attackers had rented for use as a bomb factory. They seized explosive vests, homemade bombs, Kalashnikov rifles and ISIL publications from the building, SPA reported. Deadly bombings and shootings have been carried out by ISIL against security forces and minority Shia Muslims in Saudi Arabia.”

Lebanon

Reuters: U.S. Offers $10 Million Reward For Information To Disrupt Hezbollah Finances

“The United States on Monday offered a reward of up to $10 million for information that could help disrupt financing of Hezbollah, the armed Shi’ite group backed by Iran. The announcement by the U.S. Department of State’s Rewards for Justice Program comes amid growing concerns by Washington about Hezbollah’s growing role in the Lebanese government. Hezbollah’s regional clout has expanded as it sends fighters to Middle East conflicts, including the war in Syria, where it has fought in support of President Bashar al-Assad.”

Africa

The Guardian: Kalashnikovs And No-Go Zones: East Burkina Faso Falls To Militants

“When a stranger arrives in Bartiébougou, the Kalashnikov-wielding men in charge check his ID. But first they check his forehead. They are looking for the indent left by a beret – an instant indication he is a soldier and therefore an enemy spy. Like much of eastern Burkina Faso, the government has no control over what happens in Bartiébougou; local militants, backed by west African extremist groups, do. “They control the whole zone. The men have big motorbikes and they ride around with guns,” said a resident. “They’ve mined the whole area. If the military comes, they’ll tell people to attack them. The army doesn’t even try to come any more.” Relative to its Sahelian neighbours, Burkina Faso was until recently considered one of west Africa’s more peaceful and moderate countries. But over the past two years the authorities have lost control of large regions to a spreading insurgency. Conflict has escalated dramatically, researchers say. Over the past five months, the civilian death toll has risen by 7,000% compared with the same period last year. The armed groups are painted as “terrorists”, and it is true they are backed by extremist groups. But in the east, where conflict is rising fastest, the groups are made up of ordinary Burkinabés taking up arms against a “predatory” government seen as taking land and mineral wealth while offering nothing in return.”

Japan

Asia Times: How To Tackle Tokyo 2020 Olympics Security Risks

“With large numbers of people due to visit Tokyo for the 2020 Olympic Summer Games, the Japanese authorities are making anti-terrorism preparations ahead of one of the most significant global events. Yes, Japan is now one of the world’s most peaceful nations and isn’t involved in the international fight against terrorism. Does it mean that Japan has gained a sort of immunity to terror attacks? Unlikely. According to a report by The Counter Extremism Project, while al-Qaeda tends to choose targets in countries that are involved in military conflicts, ISIS terrorist assaults are planned irrespective of the policy pursued.”

Southeast Asia

The New York Times: Local Group Is Blamed For Attacks, But Sri Lanka Suspects ‘International Network’

“Sri Lankan officials said on Monday that the coordinated bombings of churches and hotels across the country on Easter Sunday had been carried out by National Thowheeth Jama’ath, a little-known radical Islamist group, with help from international militants. Rajitha Senaratne, the Sri Lankan health minister, blamed the group at a news conference in Colombo, the capital, adding: “There was an international network without which these attacks could not have succeeded.” The government announced that it was asking other countries for help in uncovering international links, and that it was assuming emergency powers in order to investigate the attacks. A dusk-to-dawn curfew was imposed for the second consecutive night. No one has claimed responsibility for the attacks, which targeted Roman Catholic churches holding Easter services and high-end hotels favored by foreign tourists. On Monday, officials said the death toll had risen to at least 290, with about 500 others wounded. The Sri Lankan authorities have so far arrested two dozen suspects, but declined to identify them. The Sri Lankan government has acknowledged that more than 10 days before the attacks, a foreign intelligence agency gave security officials a detailed warning of a possible threat to churches by National Thowheeth Jama’ath.”

The New York Times: Sri Lanka Was Warned Of Possible Attacks. Why Didn’t It Stop Them?

“The confidential security memo laid it all out: names, addresses, phone numbers, even the times in the middle of the night that one suspect would visit his wife. In the days leading up to Easter Sunday’s devastating suicide bombings that killed at least 321 people in Sri Lanka, the country’s security agencies had been closely watching a secretive cell of the National Thowheeth Jama’ath, a little-known radical Islamist organization that security officials in Sri Lanka now say carried out the attacks and may have received help from abroad. They knew the group was dangerous. They had collected intelligence on the whereabouts of its leaders in the April 11 security memo, which warned of Catholic church bombings. They had been warned even earlier by India that the group, also known by the spelling National Thowheed Jama’ath, was plotting church attacks. They knew as far back as January that radical Islamists possibly tied to the group had stockpiled weapons and detonators.”

The Washington Post: Sri Lanka, Like World, Again Sees Scourge Of Suicide Bombing

“The deadly Easter attacks in Sri Lanka are a bloody echo of decades past in the South Asian island nation, when militants inspired by attacks in the Lebanese civil war helped develop the suicide bomb vest. Government ministers have said seven Sri Lankans from a little-known local group carried out the six near-simultaneous bombings at churches and hotels that killed at least 290 people and wounded over 500. While little else was known about the group or their motives, Sri Lanka’s Tamil Tiger fighters used suicide bombing in the country’s 26-year civil war before being wiped out by government forces. Similar bombs would then detonate across Israel, wielded by Palestinian militants, and later across the wider Middle East, Africa and Europe by Islamic extremists in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. Such attacks strike fear around the world because of their indiscriminate slaughter of civilians, like those eating breakfast at a hotel or worshipping in a church on Easter. Sunday’s assault also raises questions about whether the perpetrators had help or experience from abroad. “I call today the age of the suicide bomber. This is very much a time of extreme acts that have to, in a way, usurp the previous attacks,” said Iain Overton, executive director of the London-based group Action on Armed Violence who wrote a book on suicide bombings.”

The Washington Post: Christianity Under Attack? Sri Lanka Church Bombings Stoke Far-Right Anger In The West.

“Sunday’s bombings in Sri Lanka marked the country’s deadliest violence in a decade, leaving 290 dead and more than 500 injured. But the attacks, which targeted a religious minority in a predominantly Buddhist country, also resonated abroad — especially in Europe. To some, it was further proof that Christians in many parts of the world are under attack. Several churches were targeted in Sunday’s bombing attacks, along with hotels and a banquet hall. At one Catholic church in Negombo, more than 100 people were killed. The attack took place on Easter, one of the most important dates on the Christian calendar. “My thoughts are once again with the persecuted Christians around the world,” Marine Le Pen, president of France’s far-right National Rally party, wrote in a tweet on Monday. Those who died on Sunday were “targeted for their faith,” she added. Le Pen, like some other European far-right leaders, had initially offered only vague condolences to victims of the bombings on Sunday. However, after Sri Lankan officials blamed a local Muslim militant group, National Thowheed Jamaath, for the attack on Monday, European far-right groups and activists began to describe the attacks in specifically religious terms.”

CNN: Has Islamist Extremism Arrived In Sri Lanka?

“More than 48 hours after the Easter Sunday massacre in Sri Lanka, a devastatingly well-coordinated assault that targeted churches and hotels around the country, the shock still lingers. It was by far the deadliest attack to strike Sri Lanka since the dark days of its brutal 26-year civil war, which ended in 2009. And it shattered the relative stability that had prevailed in the country in the subsequent decade. Information provided by Sri Lankan officials has linked a small and little-known extremist outfit named National Tawheed Jamath (NTJ) to the attack. Indeed, NTJ is no jihadist juggernaut; it's an entity mostly known for defacing Buddhist statues. It's downright terrifying that such a modest and under-the-radar organization previously known for little more than vandalism could pull off such a sophisticated and catastrophic attack. In recent years, similarly complex and well-choreographed mass-casualty assaults across the globe have been carried out by the household names of the terrorism world -- al-Qaeda, ISIS, Lashkar-e-Taiba, al-Shabab, Boko Haram, the Taliban, and so on. Accordingly, one would assume, as Sri Lankan officials have suggested, that NTJ received outside help. But this raises perplexing questions.”

The National Interest: Joko Widodo Can't Save Indonesia From Extremism

“Indonesian president Joko Widodo apparently won his electoral rematch with Prabowo Subianto by a solid if not overwhelming margin. That almost certainly is to the benefit of Indonesia and its neighbors. Subianto is a putative strongman, made an army general by his father-in-law, the late dictator Suharto. Subianto commanded the brutal Special Forces and was cashiered for having kidnapped regime opponents. He sought political support by encouraging Islamic extremism. Nevertheless, in response Widodo, informally known as Jokowi, abandoned his more liberal views and appealed to the same intolerant forces. Indonesia’s reputation as home to a tolerant Islamic faith continues to erode. Indeed, Islamic extremism long has existed barely beneath the surface, ready to burst forth. Two decades ago on the main island of Java I joined the group Christian Freedom International in visiting a Bible school which had been destroyed by a mob. Out of fear of further violence, the local authorities refused to grant permission to rebuild. On the same trip I visited the Moluccan Islands, with a larger than average Christian population, which were roiled by more than two years of violent conflict. I met a militia leader who fought to defend Christian villages—and was killed a couple weeks later.”

The Hill: Security Experts: Sri Lanka Attacks Carry Hallmarks Of ISIS, Al Qaeda

“The bombings on Easter Sunday in Sri Lanka that killed almost 300 people carry hallmarks of groups like ISIS or al Qaeda, various security experts told Reuters. No one has yet claimed responsibility for the attacks at churches and hotels on the island nation. “These synchronized attacks are out of the ordinary for Sri Lanka," anti-terrorism expert Alto Labetubun told Reuters. "Compared with similar attacks in the Middle East and Southeast Asia, it has the DNA of attacks carried out by Islamic State and al Qaeda." An anonymous Asian counterterrorism official told Reuters the attack was likely carried out by a group with “significant operational capability and skilled commanders.” Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena’s office said intelligence reports indicated foreign terrorist organizations were behind Sri Lankan militants.”

Technology

Reuters: Facebook's Flood Of Languages Leaves It Struggling To Monitor Content

“Facebook Inc’s struggles with hate speech and other types of problematic content are being hampered by the company’s inability to keep up with a flood of new languages as mobile phones bring social media to every corner of the globe. The company offers its 2.3 billion users features such as menus and prompts in 111 different languages, deemed to be officially supported. Reuters has found another 31 widely spoken languages on Facebook that do not have official support. Detailed rules known as “community standards,” which bar users from posting offensive material including hate speech and celebrations of violence, were translated in only 41 languages out of the 111 supported as of early March, Reuters found. Facebook’s 15,000-strong content moderation workforce speaks about 50 tongues, though the company said it hires professional translators when needed. Automated tools for identifying hate speech work in about 30. The language deficit complicates Facebook’s battle to rein in harmful content and the damage it can cause, including to the company itself. Countries including Australia, Singapore and the UK are now threatening harsh new regulations, punishable by steep fines or jail time for executives, if it fails to promptly remove objectionable posts.”

The New York Times: Sri Lanka Shut Down Social Media. My First Thought Was ‘Good.’

“This is the ugly conundrum of the digital age: When you traffic in outrage, you get death. So when the Sri Lankan government temporarily shut down access to American social media services like Facebook and Google’s YouTube after the bombings there on Easter morning, my first thought was “good.” Good, because it could save lives. Good, because the companies that run these platforms seem incapable of controlling the powerful global tools they have built. Good, because the toxic digital waste of misinformation that floods these platforms has overwhelmed what was once so very good about them. And indeed, by Sunday morning so many false reports about the carnage were already circulating online that the Sri Lankan government worried more violence would follow. It pains me as a journalist, and someone who once believed that a worldwide communications medium would herald more tolerance, to admit this — to say that my first instinct was to turn it all off. But it has become clear to me with every incident that the greatest experiment in human interaction in the history of the world continues to fail in ever more dangerous ways.”