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Old 07-17-2020, 08:20 AM
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Arrow C.E.P. Roundup: Resources And Updates From The Counter Extremism Project

C.E.P. Roundup: Resources And Updates From The Counter Extremism Project
Counter Extremism Project: 07-17-20
Re: info@counterextremism.com

CEP Roundup: Resources And Updates From The Counter Extremism Project

Islamist Extremism

Convicted Hezbollah Financier Released From U.S. Custody

In late June, it was announced that convicted Hezbollah financier and U.S.-designated “global terrorist” Kassim Tajideen would be released from prison early by the U.S. on compassionate grounds. Despite objections from the U.S. Department of Justice, Tajideen was repatriated to Lebanon in early July. Before his March 2017 arrest, Tajideen and his two brothers—Hussain and Ali Tajideen—operated multiple Hezbollah front companies across Africa and the Middle East. The Tajideens’ African business network includes real estate, food processing, and the diamond industry. On March 7, 2017, Tajideen was charged with fraud, conspiracy, money laundering, and violating global terrorism sanctions regulations. On August 8, 2019, he was sentenced to five years in prison plus a $50 million forfeiture obligation. Media coverage: The Jerusalem Post, NBC News, Jewish News Syndicate.

Kata’ib Hezbollah Escalates Pressure On Iraqi Government

On June 25, Iraqi forces arrested 14 militants belonging to the Iran-backed Kata’ib Hezbollah (KH) militia. They were arrested while allegedly planning an attack on Baghdad’s Green Zone, which houses the U.S. Embassy and other diplomatic compounds. Shortly after the arrests, a “show of force” from KH resulted in the detainees’ release. The following week, prominent Iraqi security analyst Hisham al-Hashimi was assassinated. KH had reportedly threatened Hashimi in November and again two weeks ago. The events demonstrate how the Iraqi government continues to struggle to establish authority over KH and other powerful Iran-backed Shiite militias in Iraq, like the Badr Organization, Asaib Ahl al-Haq, Kata’ib Sayyid al Shuhada (KSS) and Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba (HHN). KH is a U.S.-designated Foreign Terrorist Organization. In January 2020, its leader Abu Mahdi al-Mohandes was killed in a U.S. airstrike alongside Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Quds Force leader Major General Qasem Soleimani.

Resource: Kata’ib Sayyid al Shuhada

Kata’ib Sayyid al Shuhada (KSS) is a U.S. designated Iraqi militia that has fought in both Iraq and Syria and is closely connected to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the Houthis. Its leader is Abu Mustafa al Sheibani, a U.S.-designated terrorist. The group was founded in 2013. Its first public announcements were three martyrdom notices for members killed fighting in southern Damascus alongside Syrian regime forces.

Resource: Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba

Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba (HHN) is an Iranian-backed, U.S.-designated militia founded by Akram al-Kaabi, co-founder of AAH. HHN is closely tied to Iran and Hezbollah. Kaabi, has long been affiliated with Iranian-backed terrorist groups operating in Iraq. He began as a commander in the Sadrist militia Jaysh al-Mahdi, where he planned and led attacks against both the Iraqi army and coalition forces. Kaabi formed HHN in 2013 in response to the rise of ISIS in Syria, calling for Iraqi Shiite militias to travel to Syria and fight on the behalf of the Assad regime.


Ian Acheson: “Link between mental illness and extremism is problematic but it can’t stop us acting”

In the aftermath of the Reading Park stabbing attack in the U.K., CEP Senior Advisor Ian Acheson notes the vital importance of studying the relationship between mental illness and violent extremism: “The research is contested but a study found lone-actor terrorists were more than 13 times more likely to be suffering mental illness. Mental illness can play a significant role in extremist offending. It seems obvious we need more studies and more opportunities for our mental health services to play a role in safeguarding our national security.”

Members Of U.S. Congress Demand Extradition Of Hamas Terrorist Ahlam Ahmad al-Tamimi

In May, seven members of the U.S. Congress wrote to the Jordanian ambassador to the United States, asking the Hashemite Kingdom to extradite wanted Hamas terrorist Ahlam Ahmad al-Tamimi to the United States. Tamimi is wanted by the FBI for coordinating and aiding the August 2001 Hamas suicide bombing of a Sbarro pizzeria in Jerusalem that wounded 130 people and killed 15, including two Americans. Tamimi has lived freely in Jordan since 2011 while fighting against the U.S. extradition request. Under federal law, the U.S. maintains the right and responsibility to try suspected terrorists accused of having maimed or killed U.S. citizens abroad and to impose punishment within the United States. Tamimi was the first female member of the Hamas Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades and is one of the FBI’s most wanted female terrorists.

Central and Eastern European Activities of the Muslim Brotherhood: Mapping The Ikhwan’s Presence In The Region

The Muslim Brotherhood can be many things to different observers. Some see the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist organization, while others accept it as a modernist movement. The group has constantly evolved and expanded across multiple countries, where it has taken on various forms. While its Western European activities have been thoroughly explored in academic literature, uncovering the group’s on-the-ground presence in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) has been lacking. In their report, CEE Activities Of The Muslim Brotherhood: Mapping The Ikhwan’s Presence In The Region, CEP and Bratislava-based think tank GLOBSEC highlight the activities of the group in several CEE countries. On May 25, CEP and GLOBSEC previewed the report during a webinar and discussion that featured Annelies Pauwels, Research Fellow, Flemish Peace Institute; Viktor Szucs, Research Fellow, GLOBSEC; Egdunas Racius, Lecturer, Vytautas Magnus University Lithuania; and Dr. Martyn Frampton, Lecturer, Queen Mary University of London.

U.N. Report: Taliban Maintains Ties To Al-Qaeda

A new report released by the United Nations (U.N.) in early June revealed that the Taliban maintained routine consultations with al-Qaeda, despite the Taliban’s peace deal with the United States. According to the report, about 400 to 600 armed al-Qaeda operatives are stationed in Afghanistan. The February 29 peace agreement saw the Taliban agree to prevent al-Qaeda from operating in Afghanistan in order for U.S. troops to gradually withdraw from the country. Despite the conditions of the negotiations, the two extremist groups reportedly exchanged guarantees to honor their historic ties. Such an agreement would run counter to U.N. Security Council Resolution 1988, which demands the Taliban break ties with al-Qaeda, accept the Afghan constitution and renounce violence.

Security Deteriorating In West Africa As Terror Groups End Alliance

Recent attacks by Jamaat Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimeen (JNIM) and the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara—local affiliates of al-Qaeda and ISIS—against one another is punctuating a security breakdown in West Africa, a region already challenged by ongoing violence. More than one million people in the region have fled their homes due to the worsening violence. The majority are in Burkina Faso, which the U.N. says is home to one of the “fastest-growing humanitarian crises in Africa.” In Mali, which has been operating under a state of emergency since November 2015, rising ethnic and jihadist-backed violence has the country poised to surpass the total number of civilians killed in all of 2019.

Virginia Man Indicted For Conspiring With Somali Terror Group

In late May, former Northern Virginia resident and FBI most-wanted terrorist, Liban Haji Mohamed, was indicted in federal court on charges of conspiring to provide material support to the Somalia-based terrorist group, al-Shabab. The complaint alleges that after fleeing the United States in 2012, Mohamed reportedly planned to join al-Shabab and use his media skills to promote online propaganda for the terrorist organization. While al-Shabab’s recruitment efforts are primarily focused on Somalia and Kenya, the group’s use of social media for propaganda has attracted recruits from around the world, including the United States.

ISIS Redux: The Central Syria Insurgency

In May, CEP introduced “ISIS Redux: The Central Syria Insurgency,” a monthly update that details the ongoing resurgence of the terrorist group ISIS in central Syria. Each update is accompanied by an interactive map indicating the exact location and nature of major attacks carried out by ISIS or Syrian forces. The update covering the month of June can be read here. The May update can be read here, and the April update, here. A full background and analysis of ISIS’s resurgence can be explored here.

Tech and Terrorism

Industry Faces Criticism On Capitol Hill For Promoting Divisive Content
On June 24, CEP Senior Advisor Dr. Hany Farid, a professor at University of California, Berkeley, testified before a joint subcommittee of the U.S. House Committee on Energy & Commerce on the effects of online disinformation. In his testimony, Dr. Farid criticized tech firms, including Facebook and Google/YouTube, for their unwillingness to effectively moderate harmful content on their respective platforms. Tech firms have an incentive to amplify divisive content, which increases user engagement and drives revenue. Dr. Farid told members of the subcommittee: “The point is that social media has learned that outrageous, divisive, and conspiratorial content increases engagement … The vast majority of delivered content is actively promoted by content providers based on their algorithms that are designed in large part to maximize engagement and revenue … Many want to frame the issue of content moderation as an issue of freedom of speech. It is not.” In late May, the Wall Street Journal reported that Facebook executives deliberately “weakened or blocked” efforts to address and correct systematic software flaws after discovering its algorithms were facilitating the growth of extremist groups on the platform. Media coverage: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, The Sociable, Stamford Advocate, Quartz.

CEP Applauds Justice Department’s Move To Limit Section 230 Legal Protections For Tech Industry

On June 17, CEP Executive Director David Ibsen and CEP Senior Advisor Dr. Hany Farid applauded proposed changes announced by the U.S. Department of Justice to narrow tech companies’ broad legal protections under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act (CDA). The Justice Department’s proposal would, among other things, remove companies’ immunity in cases involving terrorist content: “CEP has long called for the removal of tech companies’ blanket protections from liability for harmful content posted by third parties … The ongoing presence of extremist content online continues to prove that tech companies are unwilling or unable to effectively control the horrific and dangerous content that continues to the legal framework that ensures both a functioning Internet environment and the safety and proliferate on their sites … This action by the Justice Department is a necessary step to update the legal framework that ensures both a functioning Internet environment and the safety and well-being of society.”
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O Almighty Lord God, who neither slumberest nor sleepest; Protect and assist, we beseech thee, all those who at home or abroad, by land, by sea, or in the air, are serving this country, that they, being armed with thy defence, may be preserved evermore in all perils; and being filled with wisdom and girded with strength, may do their duty to thy honour and glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

"IN GOD WE TRUST"
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