Eye on Extremism - May 11, 2021

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Eye on Extremism - May 11, 2021
By: Counter Extremism Project
Re: info@counterextremism.com

As of May 11, 2021:

Voice Of America: UN Team Says Islamic State Committed Genocide Against Yazidis

“The Islamic State terrorist group committed genocide against the Yazidi people in Iraq, a U.N. team said Monday. The investigators called the evidence of genocide “clear and convincing,” according to Karim Khan, who leads the team and added that it had identified the perpetrators “that clearly have responsibility for the crime of genocide against the Yazidi community.” The U.N. team says it has identified 1,444 potential perpetrators. Khan, a British attorney, is expected to become the International Criminal Court prosecutor in the case next month. He said the Islamic State tried “to destroy the Yazidi, physically and biologically” and threatened many different Yazidi villages with the ultimatum to “convert or die.” “Evidence collected by the team had also confirmed ISIL was responsible for acts of extermination, murder, rape, torture, enslavement, persecution and other war crimes and crimes against humanity perpetrated against the Yazidis,” he said, using another acronym for the group. Islamic State militants considered the Yazidis to be devil worshippers, as their religion combines parts of several ancient Middle Eastern religions. Based on the U.N.'s findings, Nadia Murad, an Iraqi Yazidi woman who was enslaved and raped by Islamic State, asked the U.N. Security Council on Monday to refer the case to the International Criminal Court.”

Reuters: Suicide Bombing By Somalia's Al Shabaab Group Kills Six

“A suicide bomber killed six police officers in front of a district police station in the Somali capital Mogadishu late on Sunday, police said, in an attack claimed by the al Shabaab Islamist group. “Six police officers including the commander of the Waberi (district) police were confirmed dead and six others were injured in the blast,” Somali police spokesman Major Sadiq Aden Ali Doodishe told a news conference. Al Shabaab claimed responsibility for the assault but said they had killed five police personnel. “Our target was to kill police commanders and we killed five police (personnel) including the commander of the Waberi police station,” Abdiasis Abu Musab, al Shabaab's military operations spokesman, told Reuters on Monday. The Al Shabaab insurgency has battled since 2008 to overthrow Somalia's internationally-backed central government and establish its own rule based on a harsh interpretation of Islamic law. It carries out regular gun and bomb attacks in Mogadishu and elsewhere in Somalia.”

United States

NBC News: DHS Launches Warning System To Find Domestic Terrorism Threats On Public Social Media

“The Department of Homeland Security has begun implementing a strategy to gather and analyze intelligence about security threats from public social media posts, DHS officials said. The goal is to build a warning system to detect the sort of posts that appeared to predict an attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 but were missed or ignored by law enforcement and intelligence agencies, the officials said. The focus is not on the identity of the posters but rather on gleaning insights about potential security threats based on emerging narratives and grievances. So far, DHS is using human beings, not computer algorithms, to make sense of the data, the officials said. “We're not looking at who are the individual posters,” said a senior official involved in the effort. “We are looking at what narratives are resonating and spreading across platforms. From there you may be able to determine what are the potential targets you need to protect.” The officials didn't describe what criteria or methods the analysts would use to parse the data. They said DHS officials have been consulting with social media companies, private companies and nonprofit groups that analyze open-source social media data.”

CNN: What We Know About The Pipeline Ransomware Attack: How It Happened, Who Is responsible And More

“One of the largest US fuel pipelines remained largely paralyzed Monday after a ransomware cyberattack forced the temporary shutdown of all operations late last week -- an incident that laid bare vulnerabilities in the country's aging energy infrastructure. The victim of the attack, Colonial Pipeline is a company that transports more than 100 million gallons of gasoline and other fuel daily from Houston to the New York Harbor. Over the weekend, the pipeline operator began working to develop a restart plan for its pipeline system, and was able to start operations for some of its ancillary lines. On Monday, Colonial acknowledged it will take time to restore all of its systems and said hopes to substantially restore operational service by the end of the week. Ransomware locks out the rightful user of a computer or computer network and holds it hostage until the victim pays a fee. Ransomware gangs have also threatened to leak sensitive information in order to get victims to meet their demands. The Colonial Pipeline attack comes amid rising concerns over the cybersecurity vulnerabilities in America's critical infrastructure following a spate of recent incidents, and after the Biden administration last month launched an effort to beef up cybersecurity in the nation's power grid, calling for industry leaders to install technologies that could thwart attacks on the electricity supply.”

The Detroit News: Accused ISIS Soldier From Dearborn To Stay Behind Bars Ahead Of Trial

“A federal judge Monday refused to release on bond an accused Islamic State soldier captured on a Syrian battlefield three years ago, saying there is a risk the Dearborn man could flee the state. U.S. District Judge David Lawson said GPS tether technology is not strong enough to prevent Ibraheem Musaibli, 30, of Dearborn from fleeing Michigan while awaiting trial on terrorism charges that could send him to federal prison for up to 50 years. Ibraheem Musaibli, 28, (as seen in his high school yearbook photo), and the home he gave up when he left the country, authorities say. “A motivated individual has within his or her capability the means to defeat the technology,” Lawson said. Musaibli's lawyers pursued bond, saying the high school dropout and father of four was not dangerous, not a flight risk and was suffering from being held in what essentially amounts to solitary confinement at the Livingston County Jail. Prosecutors insisted Musaibli is dangerous and pointed to recorded jail calls during which he threatened to kill his lawyers if released from confinement. His lawyers say Musaibli was frustrated and they did not take the threat literally. Lawson on Monday directed prosecutors to pursue having Musaibli transferred to a federal detention center in Milan where there are other Muslim men.”

Fox News: Sen. Blackburn Moves To Cut Off Funds For Terrorists Targeting Israel

“The unrest in Jerusalem has prompted Tennessee Senator Marsha Blackburn (R) to strike at the heart of anti-Israel terrorist funding. She is introducing a bill, “The Hezbollah Money Laundering Prevention Act of 2021,” to try and choke off the financial flow into the terrorist group that vows to eradicate the Jewish State and that she fears is helping fuel the current protests. “What this would do is clamp down on their ability to have access to the U.S. banking system,” says Blackburn. “We’re just trying to make it more difficult for them to have access to those funds. We’re making it more difficult for them to launder those dollars.” The Senator's legislation would invoke part of the U.S. Patriot Act to designate jurisdictions in Lebanon that serve as money laundering havens to fund the terrorist group. The U.S. State Department, which has long classified Hezbollah as a terrorist organization and “global terrorist threat,” says that Iran helps support it to the tune of over $700 million a year. “I hope they’re paying attention, and that they do see this as a message that the United States of America, we are going to stand with Israel and we are not going to take actions or allow actions to continue that are going to embolden our enemies,” says Blackburn.”

The Daily Beast: ‘Anti-White Watch’ Is The Racist Answer To Surging Hate Crimes

“…Just as the blood libel was historically used to justify horrific crimes against Jews, this type of propaganda in the United States has led to lynch mobs, among other forms of extrajudicial punishments against minorities, such as fire bombings, vandalism, and kidnapping,” said Josh Lipowsky, a research analyst at the Counter Extremism Project, a non-profit organization that monitors and attempts to disrupt the operations of all sorts of violent radical groups.”

Afghanistan

Newsweek: 'Entire Country' Believes Taliban Is Behind Girls' School Bombing In Afghanistan, Expert Says

“The Taliban has denied involvement in a bombing at a girls' school in Kabul that killed at least 50 people over the weekend, but an expert on human rights and the rule of law in Afghanistan told Newsweek their denials don't really matter. “They can deny it as much as they want, but the reality is that the entire country believes that it's the Taliban who are behind these attacks,” said Belquis Ahmadi, a senior program officer at the United States Institute of Peace. “These are just empty words—just useless, baseless denials. The truth is that they have hands in all of these attacks one way or another,” Ahmadi said. The May 8 bombing is one of several attacks reported in recent days as U.S. troops began withdrawing from Afghanistan. Three blasts went off during the attack near the entrance to the school, which is located in a largely Shiite Muslim area, as students were leaving for the day, according to the Associated Press. While male students occupy the campus during the morning hours, female students take classes in the afternoons, the AP reported. The female students were the ones who were present at the time of the bombing.”

Pakistan

ABC News: Pakistan Army: Gunmen Kill 3 Troops, Wound 5 In Twin Attacks

“Gunmen in two separate attacks ambushed vehicles carrying paramilitary troops in southwest Pakistan, killing at least three soldiers and wounding five others before fleeing, the military said Sunday night. The first attack took place in Quetta, the capital of Baluchistan province and it killed three soldiers and wounded another, the military said in a statement. It said four soldiers were also wounded when gunmen “targeted soldiers patrolling” in the district of Turbat along the border with Iran. No one claimed responsibility for the twin attacks and the military provided no further details. Baluchistan is the scene of a long-running insurgency by small Baluch secessionist groups, which for decades have staged attacks to press their demands for independence. Pakistani Taliban and other militants also have a presence in Baluchistan, which witnessed an increase in such attacks in recent weeks. Pakistan shares a long border with Afghanistan and Iran. The military says it has completed about 85% of the fence along the boundary with Afghanistan, and fencing of the border with Iran was also underway to contain the movement of militants and to curb smuggling.”

Middle East

Reuters: Israel Airstrikes Kill 20 In Gaza, Palestinians Say, After Militants Fire Rockets At Jerusalem

“Violent clashes over Jerusalem escalated dramatically on Monday with Gaza health officials saying at least 20 people, including nine children, were killed by Israeli air strikes launched after Palestinian militant groups fired rockets close to Jerusalem. Israel's military said it carried out strikes against armed groups, rocket launchers and military posts in Gaza after militants there crossed what Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called a “red line” by firing on the Jerusalem area for the first time since a 2014 war. The rocket fire and Israeli air strikes continued late into the night, with Palestinians reporting loud explosions close to Gaza City and across the coastal strip. Shortly before midnight local time, Israel's military said Palestinian militants had fired around 150 rockets into Israel, of which dozens were intercepted by its missile defence systems. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the rocket attacks from Gaza against Israel should stop “immediately.” He urged all sides to take steps to reduce tensions. Monday began with early-morning confrontations at Al-Aqsa Mosque in the heart of Jerusalem's walled Old City on the compound known to Jews as Temple Mount and to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary - the most sensitive site in the Israel-Palestinian conflict.”

Nigeria

Sahara Reporters: Exclusive: Boko Haram Boosts Plans To Have Separate Islamic Country, Lures Borno, Yobe Residents

“Militants belonging to the Islamic State-backed faction of Boko Haram, the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), formerly known as Jamā'at Ahl as-Sunnah lid-Da'wah wa'l-Jihād, have organised da‘wāt in some villages in Borno and Yobe states, SaharaReporters has gathered. Da‘wāt is the act of inviting or calling people to embrace Islam. SaharaReporters gathered that the insurgents appealed to the villagers to join the group as militants and support their cause to establish an Islamic caliphate. They also hoisted their flag in the villages, assuring them of good governance, better security and basic amenities as soon as they have a new country. “Our target: those who do not believe in our ideology, Christians and even Muslims who do not believe in our teachings. “Any Muslim who is not supporting the empire of Islam is our target. “Anyone who comes to us for forgiveness, and stop fighting us will be exempted from attacks,” the group had said in a propaganda leaflets distributed to Geidam residents in April. ISWAP also shared N20,000 to over 50 households in a new recruitment drive. A 2019 report by the International Crisis Group, a non-profit think tank, observed that ISWAP’s approach to recruiting new fighters proved effective.”

All Africa: Nigeria: How Social Media Was Used To Expose Boko Haram Suspects Who Sneaked Into Kano

“It was an anxious weekend in Hotoro North, Nassarawa Local Government Area, Kano State, over a military operation leading to arrests of some residents of Filin Lazio area, over allegations of connection with Boko Haram insurgents. The military operation, held Saturday night, targeted a house newly moved-in by occupants said to be originally from Borno State. An official statement on Sunday confirmed the arrest of 13 suspects during the raid. Hotoro was previously an epicentre for insurgents' activities in the state, before the terrorists were flushed out by concerted efforts of security forces and residents. Members of Boko Haram sleeper cells in the area typically attacked security men and churchgoers in drive-by attacks between 2011 and 2013, when they were largely decimated. The weekend raid, according to a resident of the area, Malam Muhammed Amadi was conducted without drawing much attention. He explained that the army arrived at the suspect's residence around 9:15 pm where they surrounded the residence and whisked away some members of the household. He added that those arrested didn't resist the arrest and as such not a single gun was fired during the raid.”

Africa

Reuters: Islamist Militia Kills Malawian Peacekeeper In East Congo - U.N.

“A female peacekeeper from Malawi was killed in an attack by an Islamist militia in eastern Congo's North Kivu province on Monday morning, the U.N. and the Malawian government said. A local civil rights group said separately that fighters with the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), an Islamist armed group with Ugandan origins, attacked the village of Kilia, around 18km southeast of Beni in the province, killing at least five people. It was not clear if that figure included the peacekeeper. “A peacekeeper was killed in an attack by alleged ADF in the Beni region,” said MONUSCO, the U.N. peacekeeping mission, which has deployed around 12,000 troops to contain violence by more than 120 armed groups in the east of the country. Chitenji Kamanga, 28, was killed when the U.N. base in the village of Kilia, was attacked at 13:30 local time, the Malawi Defence Force (MDF) said in a statement. “Malawi has lost a courageous, hardworking and disciplined female soldier,” the MDF said. In March the United States labelled the ADF a foreign terrorist organization because of alleged links to Islamic State group, although the U.N. has consistently downplayed the strength and nature of Islamic State's influence in Congo.”

United Kingdom

Reuters: Far-Right Using COVID Conspiracy Theories To Lure Young - UK Police

“Extremist groups, especially on the far-right, have used conspiracy theories about the COVID-19 pandemic as a recruiting tool to attract young supporters, a senior British police officer said on Monday. “Recent analysis suggests that conspiracy theories are particularly engaging for a younger audience,” Matt Twist, one of Britain’s top counter-terrorism officers, told reporters. “Extremists on both sides, particularly the right wing terrorism space, use memes and conspiracy theories as a way of hooking in young and vulnerable people on social media platforms.” There have been a mass of conspiracy theories since the start of the coronavirus pandemic last year, from whether COVID existed and how it was spread, to myths around vaccines. Twist said the pandemic had meant more people spending time online, while it had been easier for conspiracy theories, such as the claim illnesses were linked to 5G network towers, to reach a mainstream audience. “You can’t tackle every conspiracy theory and there is a fine balance between people’s rights to free speech and people’s rights to have a view,” Twist said.”

The Guardian: MI5 Accused Of Failing To Sound Alarm About Terrorist Usman Khan

“The chief probation officer for England and Wales has accused MI5 of failing to sound the alarm about Usman Khan attending an event in London where he killed two people, an inquest has heard. Sonia Flynn, the executive director of the probation service, said the security services should have stepped in when Khan’s possible attendance at the event in Fishmongers’ Hall was raised at a series of public protection, or “Mappa”, meetings MI5 attended. Khan killed Jack Merritt and Saskia Jones in November 2019, 11 months after being released on licence for terrorist offences. Flynn told an inquest into their deaths she was surprised MI5 did not appear to share intelligence about the growing security risk it assessed Khan posed to the public. She said: “Those specialist police were invited [to public protection meetings] for a purpose, not to kind of observe the process, they were part of it and held a joint responsibility, to ensure that all available information was shared.” Flynn said MI5 should have participated in decisions about whether Khan could attend the Fishmongers’ Hall event.”

France

Newsweek: French Military Leader Asserts Islamic State Is 'Regenerating' Underground

“A French military leader said that the Islamic State (IS) is “regenerating” underground with stealth and developing its military as France is sending warships and aircraft to Syria and Iraq in order to examine the threat the group poses, the Associated Press reported. Rear Admiral Marc Aussedat, the head of a task force that features the Charles de Gaulle nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, said reconnaissance flights are being carried out to help French forces on the ground observe the Islamic State (IS) and that weapons will be used if needed. “Why are we doing this mission?...First of all, is to give to these forces, coalition and Iraqi security forces, the means to fight the regeneration of Daesh on the ground. Daesh is hiding, Daesh is developing its capacity underground,” Aussedat told the press. “Daesh,” is the Islamic State's Arabic-language acronym. Aussedat said the deployment of France's warships and aircraft is to demonstrate the country's power in areas where they have “strategic interests.” Aussedat said that 18 advanced Rafale fighter aircraft are carrying out reconnaissance flights in Syrian and Iraqi airspace to gauge the actions of the IS.”

New Zealand

The Independent: Alleged Neo-Nazi Accused Of Terror And Explosive Offences ‘Strummed Along’ To Christchurch Shooting Video

“An alleged neo-Nazi accused of terror offences filmed himself “strumming along” with footage of a gunman massacring Muslims at a mosque, a court has heard. Dean Morrice is accused of eight terror offences and two counts of possessing explosive substances that were found at his home near Bristol. The 34-year-old allegedly created parts for a 3D-printed gun and ran a social media channel that encouraged far-right terror attacks. The opening of his trial at Kingston Crown Court heard that he held up the Christchurch mosque shooter Brenton Tarrant “as an example to follow”. Prosecutor Naomi Parsons told jurors that Mr Morrice watched Tarrant’s livestream of the massacre, which left 51 victims dead, within hours of it happening on 15 March 2019. Shortly afterwards, he allegedly read and “digested” Tarrant’s manifesto, which called for further attacks by “soldiers that will fight for the future of [the white] race”. The court heard that three days after the Christchurch attack, Mr Morrice posted a video on a WhatsApp group combining Tarrant’s live footage with footage of himself playing the guitar and wearing a skull mask. Ms Parsons said the video, which was played to the jury on Monday, showed the defendant “strumming along to the sound of the machine gun shots” as Tarrant murdered his victims.”

Voice Of America: New Zealand Knife Attack Leaves Four Wounded, Three Critically

“Police in New Zealand said a man was taken into custody Monday after he allegedly stabbed four people, critically injuring three of them, inside a grocery store in the city of Dunedin. Southern district police commander Paul Basham said police responded to a midafternoon call reporting the stabbings in a supermarket next door to a Dunedin police station. He said when police arrived minutes later, they found four people with serious stab wounds. Basham said officers also found the suspected attacker had been subdued by members of the public. He said supermarket staff who also intervened were among the wounded. He called the actions of all those who stepped in “nothing short of heroic.” Witnesses told local media the suspect entered the store carrying two large knives. Police said the suspect was taken into custody and treated for injuries he sustained while being subdued. No other information about the suspect was immediately available. New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said investigators told her there is nothing regarding the incident to suggest it was terror related. She said police will release any new information regarding the attacker’s motive when they have it.”

Southeast Asia

Associated Press: Malaysia Arrests Abu Sayyaf Militants With Philippine Help

“Malaysian authorities have captured eight suspected Abu Sayyaf militants who may have been planning ransom kidnappings in Malaysia, Philippine military officials said Monday, adding that they provided information that helped lead to the arrests. The Filipino militants were arrested Saturday in Sabah state on Borneo island, were they fled in March due to military assaults on their jungle bases in the southern Philippine province of Sulu, Philippine marine brigade commander Col. Hernanie Songano said. “It is highly possible that they intend to make Sabah their staging point for their kidnapping activities,” Songano said in a statement. “They know that it will be very difficult for them to launch atrocities in Sulu due to the persistent military operations in the area.” The suspected militants may have been helping arrange the travel of foreign militants to the southern Philippines, Songano said, without providing further details. The Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia have collaborated for years on fighting kidnappings by Abu Sayyaf militants of Malaysians in Sabah and several Indonesian crewmen on cargo vessels along their vast sea border.”