Eye on Extremism - May 20, 2016

Eye on Extremism May 20, 2016 Counter Extremism Project MSNBC: EgyptAir Crash More Likely Terrorism “MSNBC Terrorism Analyst Malcolm Nance and CEP Spokesperson and former CIA Military Analyst Tara Maller offer their analyses of the cause of the EgyptAir flight 804 plane crash.” CBSN: Is EgyptAir Plane Crash Terror-Related? Tara Maller, Senior Policy Advisor for the Counter Extremism Project, discusses the EgyptAir Crash. CNN: EgyptAir Plane Wreckage Found, Military Says “Egyptian forces found wreckage from an EgyptAir flight that crashed in the Mediterranean with 66 people aboard, the military said. Parts of the aircraft and passenger belongings were discovered Friday near the coastal city of Alexandria, the Egyptian military said in a statement. "The searching, sweeping and the retrieval process is underway," military spokesman Brig. Gen. Mohammad Samir said.” Daily Mail: ISIS Execute 25 People By DISSOLVING Them In Nitric Acid “ISIS has executed 25 people in Mosul, northern Iraq, by lowering them in a vat of nitric acid, according to several local news reports. The men had been accused of spying on ISIS on behalf of Iraqi government security forces. According to witnesses, the 25 alleged 'spies' had been tied together with a rope and lowered in a large basin containing nitric acid until their organs dissolved. Nitric acid is a colourless, yellow or red, fuming liquid with an acrid, suffocating odour which is highly corrosive to all parts of the human body. It is normally used in manufacturing ammonium nitrate for fertilizer and explosives, organic synthesis, photoengraving, etching steel, and reprocessing spent nuclear fuel. The executions in Mosul follows a number of deadly bombings in the capital Baghdad, as ISIS hopes to rebound from a series of battlefield losses in Iraq.” CNN: US Adds ISIS In Yemen, Libya, Saudi To Terror List “The U.S. added ISIS affiliates from Libya, Saudi Arabia and Yemen to its list of designated terrorist organizations on Thursday. The move means these groups are being formally listed as designated terrorist organizations, a reflection of the changing assessment of the threat they pose. In the past, U.S. officials have indicated that they saw the groups in Libya, Yemen and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia more as sympathizers than formal affiliates of the core militant group, which controls parts of Syria and Iraq. The State Department, working with the Justice and Treasury departments, also placed the groups on a list of global terrorists that allows the Obama administration to sanction anyone who knowingly helps or provides material support to these groups -- freezing any property, bank accounts or other interests they might have in the U.S.” NBC News: NYC Man Who Joined Then Escaped ISIS Speaks Out Against 'Evil' “He left the United States to join ISIS and then fled the group after five months. Now a New York City man is revealing the disturbing details of his journey into the heartland of terror — and warning others not to follow in his footsteps. In an exclusive and unprecedented interview — which can be seen for the first time tonight on NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt, and at greater length Sunday on Dateline's ‘On Assignment’ — the defector tells how he was seduced by promises of a utopian Islamic State only to find brutality and chaos when he got to Syria. Mo, who attended Columbia University, is one of a small group of American citizens and residents whose names were found in ISIS personnel files obtained by NBC News and verified by the West Point Combating Terrorism Center.” Fox 9: ISIS Trial: Informant Describes Attempt To Leave For Syria “In late 2014, Abdirahman Bashiir says he hit a breaking point.  And when an FBI agent approached him to talk ‘I remember telling him I was getting sick of this stuff.’ Bashiir, the government’s confidential, and paid, informant spent Thursday morning on the stand recounting the myriad of details of his attempts to leave Minnesota and join ISIS fighters in Syria, and how the three men standing trial were part of those plots.” The Jerusalem Post: ISIS Threatens Global War With Israel “Islamic State threatens Israel in an article in its weekly newsletter this week, saying that unlike Hamas, the ‘war on Israel will not be limited by geographical boundaries or by international norms.’ According to the article in the Al-Naba newsletter identified by the Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor of MEMRI (the Middle East Media Research Institute) and shared with The Jerusalem Post, Israel feels threatened by ISIS because of the ‘collapse’ of neighboring states and the Sunni terrorist group’s advance toward the borders of the Jewish state. For this reason, Israel has started to fight against Islamic State in Sinai and Syria, it says, adding that the entire world is now an arena for the fight against all the ‘polytheist combatants, including the Jews,’ who are legitimate targets. Israel is using jets to attack Islamic State in Sinai, the article claims.” Reuters: Islamic State Claims Suicide Bombings Against Libyan Brigades “Islamic State said it had carried out two suicide bombings against brigades loyal to Libya's U.N.-backed unity government, inflicting heavy casualties during fighting west of the militant group's stronghold of Sirte. The brigades said 32 of their men had been killed and 50 wounded as they pushed Islamic State fighters back towards Sirte on Wednesday, their heaviest losses for months. Western powers are counting on the new government to unify Libya's political and armed factions to take on Islamic State. The militant group took advantage of Libya's political turmoil and security vacuum to take over Sirte last year and establish a presence in several other Libyan towns and cities. It controls a strip of coast about 250 km (155 miles) long either side of Sirte.” Associated Press: Afghan Officer Shoots, Kills 8 Colleagues; Bomb Kills 11 “An Afghan police officer turned his gun on his colleagues as they were manning a checkpoint in the volatile southern Zabul province before dawn on Thursday, killing eight policemen, an official said. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the assault. Elsewhere in Afghanistan on Thursday, a roadside bombing killed 11 civilians and wounded three when the van they were travelling in hit the bomb in the country's north. And in the Dihrawud district of Uruzgan province, two policemen were killed by a colleague in an apparent personal dispute, said district police chief Shah Muhammad.” CBS News: Traumatized Teen Brings New Hope For Schoolgirls' Families “The first Chibok teenager to escape from Boko Haram's Sambisa Forest stronghold was flown to Nigeria's capital, Abuja, where she met the president, even as her freedom adds pressure on the government to do more to rescue 218 other missing girls. Joy and renewed hope have met the discovery of 19-year-old Amina Ali Nkeki, who was 17 when she was abducted, though she appears too traumatized to understand her central role in the tragedy that captured worldwide attention and shone a spotlight on the violent methods of Nigeria's home-grown Islamic extremists. Officials said she met President Muhammadu Buhari at his office Thursday, according to the Reuters news agency. Aid workers say the young woman, who was found with her 4-month-old baby, urgently needs reproductive health services and psychosocial counseling.” Deutsche Welle: German Police Warn Of Possible Islamist Terror Attacks At Euro 2016 Football Tournament “Citing a BKA report entitled ‘Threat situation for the UEFA European Football Championship 2016,’ German newspaper "Bild" reported on Thursday that national teams taking part in the month-long tournament were also vulnerable. ‘A successful attack on teams of 'Crusader nations' - which includes Germany - would be particularly symbolic,’ the BKA document warned, referring to teams from predominantly Christian western countries. Due to its colonial history and its military involvement in the fight against the ‘Islamic State’ terrorist group, France remains a main target for ‘Islamist-motivated perpetrators,’ the document said. ‘Symbolic and 'soft' targets which attract large media attention and a correlating high expected number of victims’ are also a possibility, the BKA added.” United States The Washington Post: Agreement That Could Lead To U.S. Troops In Libya Could Be Reached ‘Any Day’ “The U.S. military’s top general said Thursday that the Libyan government is in a ‘period of intense dialogue’ that could soon lead to an agreement in which U.S. military advisers will be deployed there to assist in the fight against the Islamic State. Dunford spoke to a handful of journalists while returning to the United States from Brussels, where he met with military chiefs this week from numerous NATO nations. There is interest among some NATO nations in participating in the mission, Dunford said, but the specifics of who and what would be involved remain unclear. The operation will likely focus on training and equipping militias that pledge loyalty to Prime Minister Fayez Sarraj, the leader of the new Libyan Government of National Accord (GNA), which is backed by the United Nations.” Syria BBC: Syria Troops 'Capture Rebel Towns Near Damascus' “Syrian government and allied forces have retaken a large area south-east of Damascus from rebels, including the key town of Deir al-Asafir, activists say. The town and nine surrounding villages, which had been controlled by rebels since 2012, reportedly fell in a matter of hours. Rebel groups in the area had recently clashed with one another. Large numbers of civilians from the Eastern Ghouta agricultural belt are said to be fleeing and heading north. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based monitoring group, and the Local Co-ordination Committees, an opposition activist network, said pro-government forces had seized the rebel-held areas on Thursday morning.” Reuters: Jihadists Mobilize In Syria As Peacemaking Unravels “Jihadi militants in Syria including al Qaeda are mobilizing again for all-out war against President Bashar al-Assad, taking advantage of the collapse of peace talks to eclipse nationalist rival insurgents that signed on to a faltering truce. Al Qaeda's Syrian branch, the Nusra Front, was excluded from a ceasefire put in place in February and from peace talks that followed. The talks broke up last month, with Assad's government and foes blaming each other for military escalation. After lying low in the early days of the truce, Nusra has re-emerged on the battlefield as the diplomacy has unraveled, spearheading recent attacks on pro-government Iranian militias near Aleppo, Nusra commanders and other rebels say. In the latest expansion of its profile, it and other groups have revived the Jaish al-Fatah, or the army of conquest, a military alliance of disparate Islamist rebel groups that won big victories against government forces last year.” Reuters: Commentary: Commander's Death Pulls Hezbollah Deeper Into Syria Quagmire “When a United Nations tribunal began trying those accused of the 2005 assassination of Lebanon’s former prime minister, a prosecutor struggled to paint a portrait of the main suspect. ‘He has never been issued a passport or a driver’s license. He is not the registered owner of any property in Lebanon. The authorities have no records of him entering or leaving Lebanon,’ the prosecutor said in January 2014 of the defendant, Mustafa Badreddine, who was being tried in absentia. ‘He passes as an unrecognizable and virtually untraceable ghost throughout Lebanon, leaving no footprint.’ Last week, the Lebanese Shi’ite militia Hezbollah announced that Badreddine, its top military commander, had been killed in a ‘huge explosion’ near the Syrian capital, Damascus. Badreddine is the most senior Hezbollah official to be killed since the group sent thousands of fighters to Syria in 2012 to help save the regime of President Bashar al-Assad. The support of Hezbollah and its main patron, Iran, has been crucial for Assad to remain in power since a 2011 popular uprising quickly turned into a civil war involving several regional and Western powers.” Iraq Reuters: IMF Agrees $5.4 Billion Standby Loan For Iraq “Iraq has reached a $5.4 billion standby agreement with the International Monetary Fund that could unlock $15 billion more in international assistance over the next three years, Finance Minister Hoshiyar Zebari said on Thursday. Iraq's economy has been hit by the plunge in oil prices since mid-2014 and the country is expected to have a financing gap of $17 billion this year unless it can secure more funding, an IMF document obtained by Reuters showed. The cost of fighting Islamic State militants is another burden on the budget. Zebari said the deal agreed after a week of talks with the IMF in neighboring Jordan could allow Iraq to borrow again in international markets. ‘The program will help us get bonds and improve our international credit rating,’ he told a news conference in the Jordanian capital.” The Washington Post: Iraqi Forces Retake Rutbah From ISIS And Eye Fallujah For Next Battle “Iraqi military forces said Thursday that they have retaken the desert town of Rutbah from the Islamic State after a two-day battle during which commanders saw limited resistance from the militants. The Iraqi flag has been raised over the local council building in the town, the Iraqi military said in a statement. Lying about 240 miles west of Baghdad deep in the desert, Rutbah sits on transit routes to Jordan and Syria. For that reason it has an ‘outsized strategic value,’ Col. Steve Warren, a U.S. military spokesman, said in a briefing with reporters Wednesday. Recapturing it helps the economies of both Iraq and Jordan, while denying the Islamic State a ‘critical support zone,’ he said.” Turkey Reuters: Turkish Military Says Helicopter May Have Been Downed By Kurdish Militants “Turkey's armed forces said on Thursday that a military helicopter that crashed a week ago during clashes that killed eight soldiers including two pilots, may have been brought down by Kurdish militants with a ground-to-air missile. If confirmed, it would be the first known usage in recent years of such weaponry by Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militants, who have been waging an insurgency for Kurdish autonomy in Turkey's southeast for more than three decades. The armed forces initially said the helicopter had crashed last Friday due to a technical fault during air operations against PKK fighters in the province of Hakkari near the border with Iraq.” Reuters: Islamic State Militant Killed As Detonates Bomb During Turkish Police Raid: Media “An Islamic State militant was killed after detonating explosives strapped to their body when Turkish police raided a militant cell in a house in the southeastern city of Gaziantep on Thursday, the Dogan news agency reported. Turkish police on Monday issued a nationwide warning about possible Islamic State (IS) attacks on Thursday, a national holiday, after the army stepped up attacks on the militants in Syria. Gaziantep Governor Ali Yerlikaya told state-run Anadolu Agency that one militant was captured alive in the evening raid by counter-terror police. Nobody else was hurt in the operation, which was continuing. It was not clear if the dead militant was male or female. Both IS and Kurdish militants have staged bomb attacks in Turkey in recent months, fuelling concern about the spillover of conflict from its southern neighbor.” The Washington Post: Turkey Is Making It Impossible For Millions Of Refugees To Get The Help They Need “On Monday, thousands of humanitarians will gather in Istanbul for the first-ever World Humanitarian Summit, hosted by the United Nations. U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has said that the primary goal of the event is to reaffirm our commitment to humanitarian ideals and take action to end ‘the erosion of humanity which we see in the world today.’ Turkey is a good place to start, as the country hosts millions of refugees but has made it impossible for the world to learn how they are faring. Turkey is host to 2.7 million refugees and seeks $6.7 billion in additional humanitarian assistance from the European Union. Helping the refugees is a moral imperative, but Turkey is unlikely to receive the funding needed until it makes transparency a priority. In their 2016-2017 Regional Refugee and Resilience Plan, the United Nations and other international organizations report that the Turkish government is withholding crucial data, including refugee registration information.” Deutsche Welle: In Turkey, European Travel Hopes Dissolve “When the European Council released its report on May 4 recommending the European Union institute visa-free travel to the Schengen area for Turkey, Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu and his negotiating team were celebrating. So too were thousands of Turkish nationals who looked forward to easier business and leisure trips to Europe. However the celebrations were shorter-lived than any expected. The following day, the long-running tension between Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan appeared to finally snap and Davutoglu announced his resignation that evening. From then on, things moved fast. First, Erdogan pledged that Turkey would not reform its anti-terrorism laws in order to satisfy the stipulations of the European Council's recommendation, effectively rejecting the key condition of the deal.” Afghanistan Reuters: Afghan Army Must Block Taliban Gains To Spur Talks: Pakistan “Afghanistan must limit military gains by the Taliban and offer incentives to the insurgents to revive a faltering peace effort, Pakistani's top foreign ministry official said, after the latest round of talks yielded little progress. The Afghan Taliban control or contest more territory than at any time since they was ousted by a U.S.-led intervention in 2001. The militants did not show up at talks on Wednesday in Islamabad, which also involved China and the United States. Afghanistan declined to send a full delegation to Islamabad in protest against what it says is Pakistan's unwillingness to do more to pressure Taliban leadership, including those on Pakistani soil, to join talks. Pakistani Foreign Secretary Aizaz Ahmed Chaudhry, the ministry's top bureaucrat, said efforts to persuade the Taliban to talk directly to the Kabul government could only bear fruit if the Afghan army stopped the Taliban from gaining the upper hand.” Egypt The New York Times: Egyptair Flight Believed To Have Crashed At Sea; Egypt Cites Possible Terrorism “The EgyptAir red-eye from Paris to Cairo, an Airbus A320 jetliner less than half full, had just entered Egyptian airspace early Thursday on the final part of its journey. Suddenly the twin-engine jetliner jerked hard to the left, then hard to the right, circled and plunged 28,000 feet, disappearing from the radar screens of Greek and Egyptian air traffic controllers. The loss of the flight was the second civilian aviation disaster to hit Egypt in the past seven months. It resurrected fears and speculation about the safety and security of Egyptian aviation, which has a history of lapses — as well as the specter of a security breach in Paris, where the plane took off. The mystery of the plane’s demise also raised broader questions about the vulnerability of civilian air travel to terrorism. Flight 804 went missing against the backdrop of threats from militant extremist groups like the Islamic State and Al Qaeda, with networks linking Europe to the Middle East.” The New York Times: Egyptair Crash Blindsides A Nation That Thought It Was Recovering “On Thursday, Egypt found itself in a dark, if familiar, place when an EgyptAir passenger jet disappeared from radar and crashed into the Mediterranean with 66 people on boardFor years now, Egyptians have barely had a chance to recover from one crisis before being hit by another: a damaged economy, a diminished currency, a repressive president and a dangerous insurgency waged by a franchise of the Islamic State militant group. This latest setback was such a shock to the nation that Egypt’s leaders abandoned their typical approach to crisis management: obfuscation. Instead, they offered what appeared to be a candid assessment, acknowledging that the disaster might well have been a result of terrorism. And that was even before there was hard evidence of terrorism. The possibility of a terrorist attack, he said, was ‘higher than the possibility’ of a technical failure.” Middle East The Jerusalem Post: Terror Attack Thwarted After Teen Caught With Knife On Jerusalem Light Rail “A stabbing attack was prevented Thursday evening in Jerusalem, after Police and Border Police officers on patrol along the light rail line in the Shuafat neighborhood of east Jerusalem found a butterfly knife on the body of an Arab-Israeli teen. The 16-year-old was boarding a bus towards the Damascus Gate of the Old City when he aroused suspicion. Authorities searched the boy's belongings and found a butterfly knife on his person. He was taken for questioning shortly thereafter. Initial investigations indicate that the teen, a Jerusalem resident, was intending to attack police.” Nigeria CNN: Another Chibok Schoolgirl Found, Military Says “At least one more former Chibok schoolgirl abducted by Boko Haram militants in 2014 has been found, Nigerian army Col. Sani Usman said. Serah Luka was rescued about 5 p.m. local time Thursday during a military operation against the ISIS-affiliated militants, Usman said. A total of 97 women and children were freed, he said. At least 35 Boko Haram fighters were killed, he added. At least one more former Chibok schoolgirl abducted by Boko Haram militants in 2014 has been found, Nigerian army Col. Sani Usman said. Serah Luka was rescued about 5 p.m. local time Thursday during a military operation against the ISIS-affiliated militants, Usman said.” United Kingdom The Telegraph: Why This British Man Left Behind His Family To Fight Isil In Iraq “Ben is one of an estimated 50 Britons who have gone to Iraq and Syria to fight with the Kurds against Isil. He left behind his fiancée and baby daughter, now 18 months old. He bought his own kit and weapons, organised travel from Scotland, and is paid only in food and gratitude.  On the other side of the battle line, it is estimated by UK security services that more British Muslims have joined Isil than are serving in the British Army. Not since the Spanish Civil War, when about 2,300 British volunteers – most famously, George Orwell – went to fight Franco in the 1930s, have so many volunteered. Much has been said about their reasons – why young Britons turn to Isil for meaning in the modern world. But what about the reasons of the men from the same towns and streets, making the same journey to fight for the other side?” France The Guardian: France To Set Up A Dozen Deradicalisation Centres “France is to set up a dozen deradicalisation centres across the country to identify would-be extremists and prevent them from joining jihadi groups. The introduction of ‘reinsertion and citizenship centres’ in each region is part of an 80-point plan to combat home-grown terrorism, unveiled by the socialist government on Monday. The two-year plan includes a raft of anti-terrorism measures aimed at combatting the increasing number of young people in France drawn to jihadi groups, and at establishing an early warning system to pick up those tempted to join. The prime minister of France, Manuel Valls, said fighting the appeal of ‘deadly’ doctrines was the greatest challenge the country faced in more than 70 years. He said there had to be a ‘general mobilisation’ of all sectors of society to fight the problem following the terrorist attacks in Paris last year.” The Wall Street Journal: EgyptAir Flight 804 Disappearance Raises Worries Over French Air Security “The disappearance of an EgyptAir plane traveling from the French capital to Cairo has fanned concerns that one of France’s most protected terror targets—air travel—is vulnerable to Islamic State and other militant groups. Authorities say it is too early to determine what prompted Flight 804 to vanish from radar early Thursday while crossing the Mediterranean Sea. But French officials have refused to rule terrorism out as a possible cause and Egyptian officials say it is more likely terrorism than a technical malfunction. Hours after the plane disappeared, investigators in France were searching for potential security lapses, poring over surveillance camera footage at Paris’ Charles de Gaulle Airport, according to a police officer. Authorities were performing background checks on people aboard the plane as well as anyone who had access to it before takeoff, the police officer said.” USA Today: Egyptair Crash Comes Amid High Terror Alerts In Both France And Egypt “Speculation that terrorism caused the crash of the EgyptAir flight from Paris to Cairo grew Thursday at a time when both France and Egypt were on high alert because of recent terrorist attacks. Last Nov. 13, gunmen and suicide bombers killed 130 people and wounded hundreds in coordinated attacks on a concert hall, a soccer stadium and restaurants and cafes in Paris. The month before, 224 people were killed when a plane bound for Moscow was brought down over Egypt's Sinai peninsula. The Islamic State claimed responsibility for both incidents.” Europe CNN: Tour Operator Shares Plunge On Terror Fears “A spate of terror attacks is beginning to cause big problems for Europe's travel companies. Shares in tour operator Thomas Cook fell 19% in London after the company said security fears were hitting its business, just as an EgyptAir flight went missing. In an earnings update Thursday, the company said bookings for the summer were 5% lower than last year. The announcement came as investors were digesting news that EgyptAir Flight 804 from Paris to Cairo had disappeared overnight with 66 people on board. The cause of the disaster is not yet clear but Egypt's top civil aviation official said it was more likely to be terrorism than a technical failure.” Huffington Post: Deradicalization In Refugee Camps And Beyond “The influx of millions of Syrian refugees to Europe is more than likely to become another source of radicalization that could increase the number of violent extremists among the refugees and lead to further acts of terror in their host countries. Depending on how long the refugees stay in camps and the way they are treated, terror attacks will either be reduced in number, frequency, and scope, or made increasingly acute once they are permanently resettled. Host countries must employ special methods to thwart any infiltration attempts by violent extremists under the guise of being refugees, and develop a countering violent extremism plan that encompasses all aspects of deradicalization. Host countries have little choice but to do just that because a single attack would come at the enormous cost of dozens of casualties and massive destruction, not to speak of the fear, panic, and economic dislocation that would spread throughout the community; the attacks in Paris and Brussels speak for themselves.” Sputnik: German Interior Minister Says Intel Sharing Best Remedy Against Terrorism “German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere highlighted the need to share intelligence as an effective precaution against terror attacks, a ministerial statement said Thursday. De Maiziere arrived in the United States on Tuesday for a three-day visit and talks with US Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson. Speaking at a discussion hosted by Georgetown University, the minister said intelligence sharing had previously been met with skepticism. This changed after terror attacks in Paris and Brussels when more officials started calling for better cooperation, he said. The EU law enforcement agency Europol warned earlier that Europe could face more terrorist attacks. Last November, Islamist militants killed 130 people in a series of suicide and gun attacks in Paris. Brussels was struck by a terrorist attack in March, which killed 31 people and was linked to the Paris attackers.” Technology Fortune: IPhone, IPad Owners Must Enter Their Passwords More Often “Users must now enter a passcode anytime the device’s Touch ID fingerprint sensor hasn’t been used in the past eight hours or when the device hasn’t been unlocked with a passcode in the last six days. In such cases, Touch ID is turned off until users enter passcodes. The new Touch ID policy highlights the two ways of unlock Apple devices. Both potentially make it more difficult for law-enforcement to access data on devices as part of their investigations. That was proven in the company’s battle earlier this year with the FBI over unlocking an iPhone 5c used by San Bernardino attacker Syed Farook. The FBI had asked for software from Apple that would help it unlock the device. After Apple declined, the FBI was able to find a way to unlock the device by using a tool supplied by an unidentified third party. The FBI has subsequently unlocked devices in other cases by circumventing some of the security features built into the iPhone and iPad.”