Eye on Extremism - May 10, 2021

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Eye on Extremism - 05-10-21
By: Counter Extremism Project
Re: info@counterextremism.com

Eye on Extremism

As of May 10, 2021:

The Wall Street Journal: Afghanistan Bomb Attack Targeting Schoolgirls Kills At Least 50 People

“Militants killed at least 50 people and wounded more than 100 in three explosions targeting girls outside a school in a predominantly Shiite neighborhood in Kabul, officials said, an attack that could exacerbate sectarian tensions ahead of the U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan. The blasts hit the Sayed Shuhada school in the Dasht-e Barchi area of west Kabul, an area populated largely by the Shiite Hazara community. The area has suffered a string of deadly attacks in recent months. No group claimed responsibility for the bombings. In the past, Islamic State’s regional affiliate, which considers Shiites to have rejected Islam, usually took credit for attacks targeting Shiite civilians. While the Taliban harshly oppressed the Hazaras when the movement ruled most of Afghanistan in the 1990s, the Taliban now say they tolerate the Shiite minority. A Taliban spokesman tweeted to condemn Saturday’s attack, accusing Islamic State of being behind it. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, however, blamed the Taliban. In a statement condemning the bombings, he said that “the Taliban, by intensifying their illegitimate war and violence, showed that they have no interest in a peaceful solution to the current crisis.”

The Washington Post: Ransomware Attack Leads To Shutdown Of Major U.S. Pipeline System

“A ransomware attack led one of the nation’s biggest fuel pipeline operators to shut down its entire network on Friday, according to the company and two U.S. officials familiar with the matter. While it is not expected to have an immediate impact on fuel supply or prices, the attack on Colonial Pipeline, which carries almost half of the gasoline, diesel and other fuels used on the East Coast, underscores the potential vulnerability of industrial sectors to the expanding threat of ransomware strikes. It appears to have been carried out by an Eastern European-based criminal gang — DarkSide, according to a U.S. official and another person familiar with the matter. Federal officials and the private security firm Mandiant, a division of FireEye, are still investigating the matter, they said. “We are engaged with the company and our interagency partners regarding the situation,” said Eric Goldstein, executive assistant director of the cybersecurity division at the Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, or CISA. “This underscores the threat that ransomware poses to organizations regardless of size or sector. We encourage every organization to take action to strengthen their cybersecurity posture to reduce their exposure to these types of threats.”

United States

Vice: Former Neo-Nazi Terror Leader Turns Self In After Bond Revoked

“The former Michigan cell leader of the neo-Nazi terror group the Base, who was out on bond awaiting trial, turned himself in yesterday after violating the terms of his release and being ordered by a judge back to jail. In October 2020, Justen Watkins, 25, who was at one point overall leader of the Base, was arrested for a series of terrorism-related charges, including ones related to a botched death threat against an antifascist podcaster in 2019. But even though authorities knew he had access to firearms and was posting threateningly about mass murder on social media, Watkins posted bail in February and was required to stay away from other members of the Base as a condition. He didn’t, though, and—according to Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel's office the man who posted his bail was another member of the Base. A local judge ordered Watkins to surrender and turn himself in. “Given the circumstances, the court's decision to revoke Mr. Watkins' bond was the correct course of action,” said Nessel in a statement. “We are pleased with the outcome.” While he was out on bond, Watkins was charged with possessing illegal steroids in February and, in early April, with breaking and entering into a garage on the property where he once held paramilitary training for the Base, alongside an accomplice.”

Iraq

Asharq Al-Awsat: US Report: Militias Have Taken Over ISIS’ Legacy In Iraq

“A US intelligence report has revealed that Iraqi Shiite militias now control ISIS’ “legacies” in Iraq, such as the lands seized by the terrorist group and the oil wells and commercial relations on the Iraqi-Syrian borders. The report has provided extensive, never before revealed details on how the Iran-linked militias are creating a new order to dominate a strategic region of the country that connects Iraq and Syria. The militias are taking advantage of the vacuum caused by the collapse of ISIS’s so-called “caliphate” to begin building security, social, political, and economic structures to dominate the area, said the US Newlines Institute report done by Senior Analyst Rasha Alaqeedi. “The militias’ infiltration into police and security forces has allowed them to control Iraqi citizens’ movements, trade, occupation and other aspects of their private life,” it noted. Some factions threaten journalists, block roads to important commercial areas to hamper business and even take scores of residents from villages to unknown locations. Militants also use threats and acts of violence to get their preferred academics put in charge of some of the more important colleges in provinces where the militias are flourishing. They have also established schools that do not follow local or federal norms and rules.”

Afghanistan

The Washington Post: School Bombing Heightens Fears Among Afghanistan’s Hazaras, Long A Target For Militants, Amid U.S. Exit

“A deadly bombing outside a school in one of Kabul’s Hazara neighborhoods is heightening fears within the minority group that they are increasingly vulnerable as international forces withdraw, leaving the Taliban a more formidable political and military force than ever before. The attack killed more than 50 people, mostly students, as class let out Saturday. And at least 100 were wounded in the blast that left the building’s outer wall pockmarked by shrapnel, according to the Interior Ministry. Afghanistan’s Hazara community is frequently targeted by militant groups and was long persecuted by the Taliban. The scale and brutality of Saturday’s attack left many Afghans and the international community stunned. Most of the victims were schoolgirls between 13 and 18 years old. Distrustful of the government and the Taliban, many of Afghanistan’s minority groups, particularly the Hazaras, viewed the presence of foreign forces as protective. Following the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan, many Hazara militias disbanded, trusting that the new order would bring them safety. But now, as U.S. and NATO troops leave amid rising insecurity in the country, many Hazaras describe feeling abandoned, fearing a return to widespread persecution and an increase in attacks like Saturday’s bombing.”

Reuters: Afghan Taliban Declares Three – Day Ceasefire For Eid Celebration This Week – Spokesman

“Taliban insurgents said on Monday they would observe a three-day ceasefire in Afghanistan for the Muslim religious holiday of Eid, starting this week, after weeks of increasing violence that gripped the country. “In order that the Mujahideen again provide a peaceful and secure atmosphere to our compatriots during Eid-ul-Fitr so that they may celebrate this joyous occasion, all Mujahideen ... are instructed to halt all offensive operations,” Mohammad Naeem, a Taliban spokesman, said on Twitter. Eid will begin on Wednesday or Thursday this week depending on the sighting of the moon. The ceasefire declaration came two days after bombings outside a school in the western part of the Afghan capital, Kabul, killed at least 68, most of them students, and injured more than 165 others. No group claimed responsibility for the attack. Taliban insurgents, fighting to overthrow the Afghan government since their ouster by U.S.-led forces in late 2001, denied involvement in the bombings and condemned them. Afghan government leadership said the group was behind the attack. Naeem said the group's fighters had been instructed to cease all military operations against the Afghan government, but added they were ready to retaliate if attacked by government forces.”

Nigeria

Reuters: Six Killed At Southern Nigerian Police Station - Spokesman

“Armed attackers killed six people at a police station in southern Nigeria, a police spokesman said on Sunday, bringing the total number of officers killed over the weekend to 12 amid escalating violence nationwide. The attack early on Saturday morning in Akwa Ibom state killed five officers and one of their wives, spokesman Odiko Mcdon told Reuters. The killings followed three attacks on Friday night in the southern oil hub of Rivers state where seven officers were killed. Rivers is the home to Port Harcourt, the gateway to the oil-rich Delta region - while Akwa Ibom state is also oil producing. Rising violence across Nigeria, Africa's most populous nation and its biggest economy, has alarmed residents and observers. Parliament last week called for a comprehensive response to mounting insecurity and the lower house urged President Muhammadu Buhari to declare a state of emergency. read more Since December, bandits have kidnapped more than 700 people from schools in the northwest, Islamist militants have killed scores of soldiers and civilians in the northeast and kidnapping and crime have increased nationwide.”

Premium Times Nigeria: High-Profile Nigerians Suspected To Be Financing Terrorism Identified – Malami

“The Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), Abubakar Malami, said on Friday, that ongoing investigations have revealed many highly placed Nigerians and businessmen involved in financing terrorism. Mr Malami, who doubles as the Minister of Justice, said the ‘strongly’ suspected financiers were already being profiled for prosecution. The minister, who disclosed this while fielding questions from State House reporters in Abuja, said investigations revealing the activities of the suspected terrorism financiers were triggered by a recent conviction of some Nigerians in the United Arab Emirate (UAE) for funding Boko Haram. This is coming amid heightened attacks by Boko Haram, non-state actors and other perpetrators of violent crimes in different parts of the country. Daily Trust earlier in November 2020 reported how an appellate court in Abu Dhabi, UAE, affirmed the conviction of six Nigerians funding the dreaded terrorist group. The newspaper also reported in April that dozens of persons had been arrested by security agencies in an ongoing nationwide crackdown on the suspected financiers and collaborations.”

Africa

Reuters: UN Says Armed Attacks In Burkina Faso Displace Over 17,500 In Past 10 Days

“More than 17,500 people in Burkina Faso have been forcefully displaced from their homes in the past 10 days due to a series of attacks by unidentified armed groups that have killed 45 people, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) said on Friday. Attacks by jihadist armed groups linked to al Qaeda and the Islamic State in the West African Sahel region have been rising sharply since the start of the year, particularly in Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso, with civilians bearing the brunt. The UNHCR report said gunmen had carried out a series of attacks in three separate regions, burning down houses and shooting civilians dead. The assailants also ransacked health centres and damaged homes and shops. “Clearly one of the reasons is to cause mayhem and to torment civilians,” UNHCR spokesman Boris Cheshirkov told a briefing in Geneva. The security situation in the Sahel region is fuelling one of the fastest growing displacement crises in the world, he said. Security sources told Reuters on Monday that armed assailants had killed around 30 people in an attack on a village in eastern Burkina Faso. Last week, two Spanish journalists and an Irish citizen were killed in an armed ambush by suspected militants during an anti-poaching patrol near a nature reserve in eastern Burkina Faso.”

United Kingdom

The Independent: Man Accused Of Encouraging Terrorism Said Nazis Should Have ‘Finished The Job’ In Holocaust, Court Hears

“An alleged neo-Nazi said the only issue with the Holocaust was that “we did not finish the job” and that the “entire Jewish race” should have been killed, a court has heard. Andrew Dymock, 23, is accused of 15 offences including encouraging terrorism using websites, propaganda posters, social media posts and articles he is accused of creating. Prosecutors allege that he set up and operated the website and social media accounts for a neo-Nazi group called System Resistance Network (SRN) in 2017 and 2018. One article uploaded to its website in October 2017 was called “The Truth about the Holocaust”, the Old Bailey heard on Friday. It argued that Holocaust denial is irrelevant, because the total destruction of Jewish people was not achieved. “The only guilt felt by the Germanic race in regard to the Holocaust should be that we did not finish the job,” the article said. It contained numerous conspiracy theories regarding supposed Jewish control of banks and governments, calling Jews a “cancer on this earth … that must be eradicated in its entirety”. Prosecutor Jocelyn Ledward told jurors that Mr Dymock had written and posted the article onto the SRN website. “The article is clear in its encouragement of the eradication of Jewish people,” she added. “Such encouragement constitutes encouragement to commit acts of terrorism.”

The National: Irish Woman Accused Of Supporting ISIS Wins Appeal Against Ban From UK

“An Irish woman accused of being a member of ISIS won her appeal against a ban on entering the United Kingdom. Lisa Smith’s legal team argued she was entitled to the rights of a dual citizen as a consequence of her father’s birthplace, Belfast in Northern Ireland. On Friday, a judge upheld her appeal. Ms Smith, a Muslim convert from Dundalk near the border with Northern Ireland, was served with a Home Office-issued exclusion order in December 2019 on the grounds of public security. She travelled to Syria in 2015 where she married British ISIS fighter Sajid Aslam who later died in fighting. She escaped the Ain Issa camp in Syria before being deported from Turkey. The former Irish Defence Forces member was arrested at Dublin Airport after returning from Turkey in December 2019 with her two-year-old daughter. Smith, 39, is charged with membership of the ISIS terrorist group and funding terrorism. She denies the charges. She is currently on bail in Ireland ahead of a scheduled trial in the country’s Special Criminal Court next January. Both sides in the case before the Special Immigration Appeals Commission accepted that the UK had a legal right to exclude non-British citizens from European Economic Area countries, including Ireland.”

Express: Counter-Terror Expert Urges Media To Stop ‘Celebrisiting’ British ISIS Volunteers

“From 2014 estimated 900 British citizens went to join the ISIS terror group in Syria and Iraq. Some have been attempting to return home after the group’s self-styled ‘Caliphate’ was crushed by Iraqi, Kurdish and western forces. Certain cases, particularly that of Shamima Begum, who left the UK to join ISIS aged just 15, have attracted widespread public attention. However Liam Duffy, a strategic advisor to the Counter Extremism Project (CEP), argued we must focus on the victims of ISIS like the Yazidi community. The Yazidis, a small religious group concentrated in Iraq who practice a pre-Islamic faith, were brutally oppressed when the Sinjar region fell to ISIS in 2014. Thousands of men and older women were murdered whilst the younger women were taken away to be sold as sex slaves. ISIS boasted about this treatment in propaganda they posted online. Speaking to Express.co.uk Mr Duffy hit out at the “celebritisation” of western ISIS recruits. He contrasted “the plight of the Yazidis and the situation they’re living in now” with “westerners who joined ISIS, who in some cases are living in much more comfortable conditions than their victims”. Mr Duffy added: “I just wish as much attention was given to the people they tormented as to the tormenters.”

France

The National: France To Expel Refugees If They Commit Crimes Or Are Flagged For Extremism

“France's interior minister said refugees and other migrants could be expelled if they commit crimes that go “against the values of the republic”. Gerald Darmanin, known for his tough line on crime and immigration, made the comments in a newspaper interview published on Friday. “For the first time, we've asked Ofpra (France's refugee agency) to withdraw asylum protection for anyone found to be going against the values of the republic,” he told Le Figaro. French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin, left, and French Prime Minister Jean Castex attend a news conference following discussions over a bill for the prevention of acts of terrorism. The policy is the latest sign of the new focus on immigration, security and Islamism by the government of President Emmanuel Macron one year before presidential and parliamentary elections. Political experts expect those issues to shape a contest in which far-right leader Marine Le Pen is Mr Macron's closest rival, according to recent polls. Mr Darmanin said that in the past three months, 147 refugees had lost their asylum status. “Our policy is clear: judging foreigners based on what they do, not who they are,” he said. He said that 1,093 foreigners living illegally in France are currently on a watch list maintained by security services, suspected of being a terrorist threat.”

Australia

Yahoo News: Aussie ISIS Suspect Arrested On Return

“A 30-year-old Sydney man alleged to be an Islamic State recruit has been arrested upon his return to Australia. Mohamed Zuhbi arrived in Melbourne on a flight from Turkey about 4pm on Saturday and was taken into custody by counterterrorism authorities at the airport. Zuhbi travelled from Sydney to Turkey in 2013 and then allegedly on to Syria, where he recruited and helped foreign fighters travel to the area. He has been charged with supporting a terrorist organisation, engaging in hostile activity overseas, supporting another person to engage in hostile activity overseas and entering a banned jurisdiction. A masked Zuhbi appeared via video link before Melbourne Magistrates Court on Sunday morning, with his case to return to the same court on May 21. An extradition hearing to NSW will be heard on that date. “We have a responsibility to prevent our citizens from contributing to violence and instability overseas,” Australian Federal Police'Commander Stephen Dametto said in a statement. “Our laws are aimed at discouraging Australians from fighting in overseas conflicts and endangering their lives.”

Southeast Asia

Reuters: Myanmar’s Junta Brands Rival Government A Terrorist Group

“Myanmar’s military rulers have branded a rival National Unity Government a terrorist group and blamed it for bombings, arson and killings, state-controlled media said on Saturday. Myanmar's army has struggled to impose order since seizing power on Feb. 1 and detaining elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi. Bombings are reported daily and local militias have been formed to confront the army while anti-junta protests have not stopped across the Southeast Asian country and strikes by opponents of the coup have paralysed the economy. The National Unity Government (NUG), which operates under cover and itself describes the army as a terrorist force, announced this week that it would set up a People's Defence Force. “Their acts caused so much terrorism in many places,” state television MRTV said, announcing that the NUG, a committee of ousted lawmakers known as the CRPH and the new force would all now be covered by the anti-terrorism law. “There were bombs, fires, murder and threats to destroy the administrative mechanism of the government,” the announcement said. The anti-terrorism law bans not only membership of the groups, but also any contact with them. The junta had previously accused its opponents of treason.”

BBC News: Maldives Bombing: 'Prime Suspect' In Attack On Mohamed Nasheed Arrested

“Police in the Maldives say they have arrested the alleged “prime suspect” in the attempted assassination of the country's former president. Adhuham Ahmed Rasheed, 25, was arrested on Sunday, three days after Mohamed Nasheed, 53, was badly injured in an explosion outside his home in the Indian Ocean nation's capital, Male. Mr Nasheed's condition had improved on Saturday, according to family. A British national and two others were also injured in the 6 May bombing. The official Twitter account of the Maldives Police announced the arrest on Sunday, saying the man is believed to be the prime suspect in the attack. They allege he is the same man seen on CCTV waiting in an alley just before a device planted on a motorbike parked near Mr Nasheed's car exploded on Thursday evening. Police say the attack was carried out by “religious extremists,” and have also arrested two other men, named as Mujaz Ahmed, 21, and Thahmeen Ahmed, 32. Investigators are still searching for others believed to be involved in the attack. The Maldives is known for its luxury holiday resorts, but has also faced political unrest and Islamist militant violence. Mr Nasheed - who was ousted in a coup four years after his 2008 election, but now holds the second most powerful position in parliament - has been an outspoken critic of hardline Islamists.”

Technology

Reuters: Biden Administration Joins Global Campaign Against Online Extremism

“The United States will join a New Zealand-led global campaign to stamp out violent extremism online, the White House said, making a policy change two years after the administration of former president Donald Trump declined to participate. The initiative was started by New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and French President Emmanuel Macron in 2019 after a gunman killed 51 people at two mosques in the New Zealand city of Christchurch while live-streaming his rampage on Facebook. Biden administration spokeswoman Jen Psaki said the United States would join the “Christchurch Call to Action to Eliminate Terrorist and Violent Extremist Content Online” in a statement late Friday. “Countering the use of the internet by terrorists and violent extremists to radicalise and recruit is a significant priority for the United States,” Psaki said in the statement. “Joining the coalition of governments and companies that have endorsed the Christchurch Call to Action reinforces the need for collective action.” Ardern said on Saturday the U.S. had been a “constructive, engaged partner on many Call-related issues since its launch” and the announcement was a “formalisation of that relationship and a commitment for us to work even more closely.”

GazetteXtra: Cohen: Facebook's Blacklisting Of Trump Deserves A Boycott

“The Alliance to Counter Crime Online and the Counter Extremism Project have spent years tracking how violent groups like IS, Mexican cartels and Hezbollah utilize Facebook. It found that Hezbollah, for example, “has used Facebook to broadcast propaganda, recruit for attacks, report on the activities of its leadership and even shill for money,” Josh Lipowsky and Gretchen Peters wrote in Morning Consult last November. “Hezbollah also uses social media to promote fund-raising campaigns, meaning Facebook is effectively facilitating terror financing. In 2019, for example, Hezbollah’s Islamic Resistance Support Association ran a crowdfunding campaign on Facebook to ‘Equip a Jihadi.’”