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Old 03-05-2021, 10:33 AM
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Arrow Eye on Extremism - 03-05-21

Eye on Extremism - March 5, 2021
By: Counter Extremism Project - 03-05-21
Re: info@counterextremism.com

As of March 5, 2021:

Reuters: Swedish Police Still Seek Motive For Knife Attack

“Swedish police were still in the dark on Thursday over the motive for a knife attack in the southern town of Vetlanda which left seven people wounded and forced police to shoot a suspect. A lone attacker went on a 15-minute rampage in the town of about 13,000 inhabitants on Wednesday afternoon, stabbing seven people. Five of the victims had to be treated in intensive care but local authorities said they all were in stable condition. “All victims are from Vetlanda and they are all male,” said Vetlanda police chief Jonas Lindell. “There is, to our knowledge, no connection between the perpetrator and the victims.” The attack is being investigated as attempted murder but police were not sure of the motive for the attack. “We are investigating a possible terrorism motive and we are investigating it thoroughly,” said Malena Grann, head of police in Jonkoping region, without offering any details. However, Adam Rullman, prosecutor in the case, told Reuters earlier on Thursday that the prosecution authority unit handling terrorism-related cases had assessed it would not take over the investigation. Police said the suspect was a 22-year old man from Afghanistan. He was armed with a knife when police shot him in the leg and overpowered him.”

Reuters: Roadside Bomb Kills Doctor In Afghanistan's East

“A roadside bomb explosion killed a female doctor in the eastern city of Jalalabad, provincial officials said on Thursday, days after three female media workers were shot dead in the same city. Attahullah Khogyani, spokesman for the governor of Nangarhar province in which Jalalabad is the main city, said the doctor was on her to work in a rickshaw on Thursday morning when she was killed in the blast. A child was also wounded. Khogyani did not name the doctor but said she worked in the maternity ward of a private hospital. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack. A wave of shootings and small bombs attached to vehicles or planted on the side of a road have targeted journalists, civil society workers and mid-level government employees in recent months. The government and some foreign powers have blamed Taliban insurgents for many of the attacks and say the militant group is using the tactics to instill fear while avoiding large-scale civilian casualties. The Taliban denies involvement. The Taliban and Afghan government are holding peace talks in Doha, though progress has slowed while U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration reviews its plans for the peace process and the withdrawal of troops.”

United States

Reuters: Security Tight At U.S. Capitol After Terror Threat

“Security was tight on Thursday at the U.S. Capitol, the scene of a deadly siege in January, after police warned that a U.S. militia group might try to attack it again to mark a key date on the calendar connected to the baseless QAnon conspiracy theory. A bulletin issued earlier this week by the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI said an unidentified group of “militia violent extremists” discussed plans in February to “take control of the U.S. Capitol and remove Democratic lawmakers on or about March 4th.” March 4th is the day when adherents to the QAnon theory believe that former President Donald Trump, who was defeated by President Joe Biden in the November 3rd election, would be sworn in for a second term in office. Up until 1933, March 4th was the date of the inauguration. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, whose chamber canceled its afternoon session after the warning, still appeared at the Capitol Thursday for her weekly press conference, dismissing any significance the date may hold. “The silliness of this being inauguration day falls into the realm of… let’s not waste our time on it.” Still, Capitol police have asked the Pentagon to extend the presence of the National Guard, who have been there since the insurrection, for at least another two months.”

New York Daily News: Accused Terrorist Found With Makeshift ISIS Flag In His Jail Cell: Prosecutors

“A Brooklynite who served as a sniper for ISIS was caught in his jail cell with a homemade flag that resembled the terrorist organization’s logo, federal prosecutors said Wednesday. Ruslan Asainov, 44, charged in 2019 with working for the Islamic State and trying to recruit others to join the fight as well, was caught in his cell at Manhattan’s Metropolitan Correctional Center with a small item that he had fashioned to look like the ISIS flag, the feds said Wednesday in papers in his Brooklyn Federal Court case. The incident occurred on Sep. 17, 2020, but was just disclosed as part of the discovery process in the case. Prosecutors turned over to Asainov’s defense attorney video footage of them raiding the cell and discovering the flag, though the video is not publicly available. While prosecutors will not bring new charges based on the flag, it will help strengthen their case connecting Asainov to ISIS. Asainov did not show up to a Thursday video hearing in his case, likely because he does not recognize the sovereignty of the United States justice system. “The defendant has stated directly to the court in a prior appearance … that he considers himself a citizen of the Islamic State,” said Assistant U.S. Attorney Saritha Komatireddy.”

Penn Live: Inmate Who Said He’d ‘Commit The Worst Terrorist Attack In American History’ Gets More Prison Time

“A Waverly, New York, man who to threatened to “kill a lot of people and commit the worst terrorist attack in American history” when he got out prison admits he needs help. “I’m not ready to go home,” Jesse Allen Blake, 25, told U.S. Middle District Judge Matthew W. Brann at his Thursday sentencing. Judge sentenced him to four years in prison consecutive to the 10 to 20 years he received in 2019 in Bradford County. His charges there were aggravated assault stemming from an incident in jail and sexual statutory assault in which the victim was 13. When Blake eventually gets out of prison he will be on supervised release for four years during which he is to undergo mental health treatment. He understands that he needs long-term help, said assistant public defender Gerald Lord, who suggested intensive psychological therapy. The communication was a letter Blake sent March 29, 2019, while an inmate at the Bradford County Correctional Facility to FBI headquarters in Washington that stated in part: “I will blow or attempt to blow up the White House, the U.N. headquarters and the Pentagon and Trump Tower. And try to kill the president. “If you think I’m playing try me ... You can’t ever charge me with a terroristic threat through letter nor can you put me in federal prison.”

CBS Chicago: Suspected Gang Leader Jason Brown, Already Accused Of Supporting Isis, Now Faces Additional Drug, Gun Charges

“A new federal indictment added drug and gun charges against a suburban man already charged with trying to provide material support to ISIS. Jason Brown, who also goes by Abdu Ja’Me and Matthew Dobbs, was first charged in 2019 with trying three different times to provide $500 to ISIS. A superseding indictment filed in U.S. District Court accuses Brown of illegally possessing four loaded handguns in the interest of drug trafficking that included distributing methamphetamine. Brown is also charged with distributing fentanyl, and conspiring to possess marijuana plants illegally with the intent to distribute. In his initial charges, Brown is alleged to have given money to a confidential source, believing it would be sent to an ISIS soldier in combat in Syria, but who was actually an undercover law enforcement officer. According to the initial complaint, Brown was believed to be the leader of the AHK street gang based in west suburban Bellwood, known to traffic narcotics in the Chicago area. He was also accused of using this position of power to recruit and radicalize AHK members to support ISIS, requiring all members to convert to Islam if they aren’t already Muslim. Terrorism expert Tom Mockaitis weighed in on Brown’s profile back in November 2019.”

Syria

Kurdistan 24: Suspected ISIS Attack At Al-Hol Camp In Northern Syria Kills Iraqi Teen

“An 18-year old Iraqi teenager was killed on Wednesday in a suspected attack by an Islamic State cell in the notorious al-Hol camp in northeast Syria. The Coordination and Military Operations Center of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) said that the teenager was shot multiple times in the head, chest and stomach around 3 a.m. on Wednesday. “This brutal killing is the 3rd this month linked to #Daesh,” the SDF said, using an Arabic acronym for the Islamic State group. The security and safety situation in the crowded al-Hol camp has recently deteriorated. According to Doctors Without Borders (MSF) at least 30 people have been killed in the camp since January. The international medical organization recently said one of its staff members was killed in their tent and three other people were injured in a fire, forcing the charity to suspend critical services. In January, UN officials also expressed concern over the deteriorating security conditions at the camp, the largest in Syria for refugees and displaced people. According to the UN, there are about 62,000 people in the camp, including tens of thousands of women affiliated to ISIS and their children. As a result of the vast numbers, it has been difficult for guards to prevent repeated violent incidents, including murders.”

Turkey

Daily Sabah: Turkey Deals Heavy Blow To Daesh Terrorists In February

“Turkey dealt a heavy blow to the Daesh terrorist group in nationwide operations in February and prevented potential terror attacks. The security forces thwarted attacks in many cities, especially in Istanbul, the capital Ankara and the southern Adana province. A total of 165 suspects were detained in operations against Daesh last month, 55 terror group members were remanded and documents, arms and ammunition belonging to the group were seized, according to information compiled by Anadolu Agency. An alleged assassin linked to the Daesh terror group was arrested in the northwestern Yalova province, Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu announced on Feb. 1. In a statement, local police later announced that a total of 14 suspects – 12 Iraqi nationals, one Moroccan and one Turkish national – including the alleged assassin, had been arrested in the Yalova-based operation, of whom eight had been remanded in custody and another six suspects were released on bail. The suspected assassin, who was identified as A.Y., is also thought to have been in charge of smuggling militants whose Daesh links have been exposed to and from Turkey and Europe. The statement said another suspect, identified as A.G., who had been caught, was thought to be a high-profile member of the terror group.”

Pakistan

The National Interest: Why Pakistan Should Fear A Taliban Takeover Of Afghanistan

“In May, the United States is supposed to withdraw its remaining forces from Afghanistan in line with an agreement signed with the Taliban in Doha last year. But violence is escalating and the intra-Afghan talks mandated by the Doha accord have made little progress. If American troops leave, the Taliban might abandon the peace process and seize power by force. This would arguably be “mission accomplished” for Pakistan, which has backed the militant group since its inception in the 1990s to establish strategic depth in Afghanistan and counter Indian influence there. The Afghan government maintains close ties to New Delhi and its ouster would likely harm India’s interests. However, Islamabad appears to want a “responsible” U.S. withdrawal and has repeatedly insisted it would prefer an inclusive administration in Kabul. This might be an attempt to deflect accusations that it supports the Taliban, of course, but there are good reasons for Pakistan to oppose a takeover by the militant group and a restoration of its theocracy. As former U.S. counterterrorism official Tricia Bacon notes, “Though Pakistan and the Taliban have long-standing common interests, these have not produced a friendship.”

Yemen

Reuters: Roadside Bomb Attack On Yemen Separatist Forces Kills Three

“A roadside bomb killed a civilian and two fighters travelling in a convoy of vehicles belonging to Yemen’s main southern separatist forces in Aden city on Thursday, the militia said. The Southern Transitional Council (STC) forces had earlier said that a car bomb struck the convoy carrying a general, but the armed forces command later said in a statement that it was a roadside bomb. “Terrorist elements planted an explosive device ... and detonated it when the general’s convoy passed and then opened fire,” it said, adding that the civilian killed had been in the vicinity. It said several people were injured but gave no figure. Video footage shared by STC activists on Facebook showed a white four-wheel-drive vehicle with extensive damage. Aden is the seat of Yemen’s internationally recognised government, which in December formed a new power-sharing cabinet including the STC under a deal brokered by Saudi Arabia. The STC said in a statement that those behind the attack are “declaring that their battle is not against the Houthi enemy ... but against the south, its leadership and forces” but did not specify which Yemeni party it was referring to.”

Middle East

The Times Of Israel: PLO Says $15 Million Per Month Being Paid In Terror Stipends

“Ramallah may have paid as much as NIS 600 million ($181 million) in 2020 in salaries to Palestinians imprisoned by Israel for security offenses — including terrorism — and their families, a Palestine Liberation Organization official said on Thursday. “We pay around NIS 50 million ($15 million) per month in salaries,” PLO Commissioner for Prisoners’ Affairs Qadri Abu Bakr said in a phone call with The Times of Israel. Ramallah has a longstanding policy of compensating Palestinians jailed by Israel for security offenses, as well as those wounded or killed by Israeli forces — including those killed while committing violent terror attacks. Israel has long sought to clamp down on the practice, which it says encourages terror. As required by a 2018 law, Israel deducts the estimated cost of the stipends from tax revenues it collects on behalf of the Palestinian Authority every month. Abu Bakr did not immediately provide a precise figure for 2020 as a whole but agreed when The Times of Israel suggested an estimate of NIS 600 million ($181 million) for the past year, based on the monthly number he’d provided. “Yes, that’s right,” he said.”

Nigeria

Institute For Security Studies: Boko Haram Teams Up With Bandits In Nigeria – Analysis

“When Boko Haram faction leader Abubakar Shekau claimed responsibility for the December 2020 mass abduction of more than 300 school boys in Katsina State, north-west Nigeria, he wasn’t taken seriously – not even by government. This despite the fact that the proof-of-life video came from the Jamā’at Ahl as-Sunnah lid-Da’wah wa’l-Jihād (JAS) faction, led by Shekau. People felt that since the abduction was carried out by bandits, especially in a region where Boko Haram was not thought to be present, the group’s claim could be propaganda. Ongoing Institute for Security Studies (ISS) research shows however that not only did JAS participate in the abduction, but the link between the group and bandits pre-dated the incident. Boko Haram, particularly under Shekau, has long been interested in expanding its base beyond Nigeria’s north-east. And its north-west and north-central regions are increasingly becoming its areas of choice due to deteriorating security and other conditions there. The group’s interest in these regions, especially the north-west, can be traced to a 2014 internal ‘Message to Fulanis’ video. In it, Shekau is seen expressing ‘gratitude’ to fighters in Katsina State and other unspecified locations.”

United Kingdom

Sky News: Dominic Raab: 'Worrying' Number Of Children And Teenagers Recruited To Terrorist Groups During Lockdown

“A “worrying” number of children and teenagers are being recruited to terrorist groups during the coronavirus lockdown, the foreign secretary has told MPs. Dominic Raab was addressing the Commons about the UK's fight against Islamic State. He said the UK was tackling the terror group's propaganda “head on”, but warned it was “still able to carry out lethal attacks”. IS remains the UK's “most significant terrorist threat” at home and abroad, the foreign secretary told MPs. “This is a critical moment,” Mr Raab said. “Yes, Daesh's [another name for IS] brand has weakened - it remains, nonetheless, globally recognised. “In December 2020, the UK Counter-Terrorism Referral Unit saw a 7% rise in the volume of terrorist content online and we can see a worrying rise in the proportion of children and teenagers that are now being arrested for terrorism offences. “And it was Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu of the Met [Metropolitan Police] who described lockdown and the accessibility of terrorist content online as a perfect storm because terrorists have digital access to those who are probably the most susceptible to extremist narratives. “So we are tackling Daesh's propaganda head on and I am proud the FCDO [Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office] leads on this work on behalf of the global coalition.”

The Guardian: Three Terror Plots Foiled In Britain During Pandemic, Say Police

“Three terror plots have been foiled during the coronavirus pandemic in the UK, counter-terrorism chiefs revealed, despite a drop in arrests during the period. Two Islamist plots and one rightwing terror plot were thwarted, bringing the total number of foiled attacks since March 2017 to 28, said the counter-terrorism policing network. The revelation was made as official figures from the Home Office showed the number of arrests for terrorism-related activity fell by 34% in 2020, the lowest level in nine years, although this was pinned on an overall reduction in crime during the pandemic. The statistics also reveal that one in five people behind bars for terrorism offences in Britain last year were rightwing extremists, the highest proportion since records began, while a rise in arrests was only recorded for the under-18s category. Dean Haydon, a deputy assistant commissioner and senior national coordinator for counter-terrorism policing, said: “These statistics tell me two things. Firstly, that despite facing unprecedented challenges brought about by the pandemic, counter-terrorism policing continued to keep the public safe by making 185 arrests across more than 800 live investigations – stopping three possible terror attacks in the process.”

Germany

Politico: Who Wants To Be A Soldier? Germany Grapples With Far-Right Extremism In Its Ranks

“In many nations around the world, those who serve their country in uniform are honored with parades and adulated as heroes. Not so in Germany. In a country where any semblance of militarism calls to mind the Nazi past, the notion of a German soldier raising a gun in a foreign land remains for many uniquely abhorrent. That’s why, when Germany’s elite commando force, the Kommando Spezialkräfte (KSK), was established 25 years ago, many Germans were apprehensive. But following a humiliating incident during the Rwandan civil war — when a group of German citizens became stranded amid heavy fighting and had to be rescued by Belgian paratroopers — the then conservative government had reasoned that Germany could not continue to lean almost entirely on its NATO allies for many aspects of its security. KSK commandos subsequently served in Kosovo and Afghanistan — Germany’s first foreign combat missions since World War II. The German public was deeply divided over these engagements and remained intensely skeptical of sending troops to fight wars. Germans, after all, saw their country as a Friedensmacht, a “force for peace.”

Europe

Radio Free Europe: Five More Jehovah's Witnesses Accused Of Extremism In Russia

“Five Jehovah’s Witnesses in Russia's Komi Republic have been accused of organizing and taking part in the activities of an extremist group amid a continued crackdown on the religious group, which has been banned in the country since 2017. Russia's Investigative Committee said on March 4 that a court in the city of Syktyvkar ordered one suspect in the case to be placed in pretrial detention. Two Jehovah's Witnesses were placed under house arrest and another two were ordered not to leave the city while an investigation in the case takes place. Jehovah's Witnesses said a day earlier that police searched at least 14 homes of members of their congregation in Syktyvkar. The announcement came days after a court in Russia's Republic of Khakassia sentenced two Jehovah’s Witnesses -- 69-year-old Valentina Baranovskaya and her son Roman Baranovsky -- to two and six years in prison respectively. The United States has condemned Russia's continued crackdown on Jehovah's Witnesses and other peaceful religious minorities. For decades, the Jehovah's Witnesses have been viewed with suspicion in Russia, where the dominant Orthodox Church is championed by President Vladimir Putin.”

Technology

The Washington Post: The Cybersecurity 202: FBI Renews Attack On Encryption Ahead Of Another Possible Attack On The Capitol

“The head of the FBI renewed calls for special law enforcement access to encrypted technologies in response to recent acts of domestic extremism. FBI director Christopher A. Wray and other FBI officials made the argument to senators over two days of hearings about law enforcement efforts leading up the Jan. 6 Capitol attack. They highlighted the use of the technology by the pro-Trump mob that stormed the Capitola as some of the perpetrators used encrypted technology to plan and execute the assault. “We … are moving more and more in a direction where if we don't come up collectively with some kind of solution it's not going to matter how bulletproof the legal process is or how horrific the crime is or how heartbreaking the victims are we will not be able to get access to the content and the evidence that we need to protect the American people,” Wray told members of the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday. “I think, we will all rue the day.” The warnings come as Capitol Police warn of a possible plot by a militant group to today breach the Capitol, Tom Jackman, Matt Zapotosky, Michael Brice-Saddler and Craig Timberg report. Some followers of the extremist ideology QAnon falsely claim that former president Donald Trump will return to the White House on March 4.”
__________________
Boats

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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