Eye on Extremism - June 20, 2016

Eye on Extremism June 20, 2016 Counter Extremism Project Politico Pro: New Tool Aims To Block ISIL On Social Networks “The computer scientist who developed software that blocks child pornography on social networks says he's built a tool that can scrub violent extremist content from services like Facebook and Twitter, as tech firms come under growing pressure from Washington to combat Islamic State propaganda. Administration officials have said for months that tech companies need to do more to remove videos and postings from the Islamic State. In the wake of last weekend's mass killing at a gay bar in Orlando, Fla., by a shooter who was reportedly inspired by ISIL, President Barack Obama said of the terrorist group: "Their propaganda, their videos, their postings are pervasive and more easily accessible than we want." The computer scientist, Hany Farid, a professor at Dartmouth College, says that rather than attempt to scan thousands of photos, videos, and audio for offensiveness, his new tool works by creating digital signatures of known extremist content - such as videos of beheadings or the speeches of deceased radical cleric Anwar al-Awlaki - allowing the content to be automatically removed when it pops up on social networks. The Counter Extremism Project, a New York City-based nonprofit organization where Farid serves as a senior adviser, announced the new tool on Friday.” AFP: Software Unveiled To Tackle Online Extremism, Violence “A software tool unveiled Friday aims to help online firms quickly find and eliminate extremist content used to spread and incite violence and attacks. The Counter Extremism Project, a nongovernment group based in Washington, proposed its software be used in a system similar to one used to prevent the spread on online child pornography.” Defense One: How To Stop The Next Viral Jihadi Video “The Islamic State recruits supporters and fellow travelers from around the world largely by spreading photos and videos of its violent exploits online. What if social-media companies could automatically detect and delete such imagery? The Counter Extremism Project, working with Dartmouth University computer scientist Hany Farid and funding from Microsoft, have developed a new method for doing just that. They hope to provide the software to help companies like Twitter, Facebook, and Google stop extremist groups from distributing such material on social media.” Bloomberg Technology: Microsoft-Funded Professor Builds Software To Fight Terrorism “Dartmouth College computer science professor Hany Farid -- using funding from Microsoft Corp. -- has developed technology to help scrub extremist content from the internet. Working with the nonprofit think tank Counter Extremism Project, Farid built software capable of identifying and tracking photo, video and audio files, even if they’ve been altered. The software, unveiled Friday, would allow websites such as Facebook Inc. to automatically catch flagged content and remove it or prevent it from being uploaded.” Washington Examiner: Group Develops Software To Block Terrorists Online “A nonprofit dedicated to combatting terrorist propaganda on Friday said it has new technology that can help social media companies better identify the type of posts and videos that investigators believe helped drive Omar Mateen to shoot 102 people at a gay nightclub in Orlando, Fla., on Sunday. The Counter Extremism Project, which was founded by a group of former world leaders and diplomats, has taken Twitter, Facebook and Google to task for not doing enough to prevent groups such as the self-proclaimed Islamic State from exploiting their platforms to recruit adherents, incite lone-wolf attacks, raise money and distribute their barbaric videos.” Rudlaw: CIA Chief: ISIS Is Not Losing ‘Global Reach’ “The Counter Extremism Project, a Washington-based NGO, has proposed a software tool, developed by Hany Farid of Dartmouth University, to quickly find and delete online content used to spread messages of violence and extremist ideology.  If the tool is adopted by Internet firms, it could be used to stop the spread of viral images and videos produced by the group and would ‘go a long way to making sure that online extremist is no longer pervasive,’ said Mark Wallace, chief executive of the Counter Extremism Project.” The New York Times: A War Of Brothers In Iraq: ‘I Will Kill Him With My Own Hands’ “In the days leading up to the storming of Falluja by Iraqi forces, Brig. Gen. Hadi Razaij, the leading Sunni police commander in the campaign, sat on a cot in an abandoned house near the front line. He described the resistance that lay ahead: a determined force of hundreds of jihadists that had months to prepare. General Razaij’s presence on the battlefield shows that local Sunnis, and not just the Shiite forces that now dominate Iraqi politics, are fighting to liberate their own communities, and has helped tamp down fears that the battle for Falluja would heighten sectarian tensions.” CNN: Russia Denies Bombing U.S.-Backed Syrian Rebels Near Jordan Border “Russia's Defense Ministry denied bombing U.S.-backed Syrian opposition forces in a recent military operation near the Jordania border, according to a statement released on Sunday. The Kremlin response comes after U.S. and Russian military officials held a video conference to discuss Thursday's strikes. ‘The object which had suffered bombardment was located more than 300 km far from borders of territories claimed by the American party as ones controlled by the opposition joined the ceasefire regime,’ the Russian Defense Ministry said in the statement.” The Washington Post: Israel Reportedly Constructing An Underground Wall Around Gaza “Israel is reportedly constructing a deep underground wall around the Gaza Strip, in an attempt to counter the threat of assault tunnels built by Hamas militants who rule the coastal enclave. The move, which comes almost two years after Israel fought a deadly 50-day war with Hamas in Gaza, was reported by the Israeli news outlet Ynet. Israel’s Defense Ministry declined to comment on the initiative. On Friday morning, two oversize excavators sat silhouetted on the horizon here. Their location marked the point where the fields of this agricultural cooperative touch the edge of the Gazan town of Khan Younis.” Fox News: Alleged American ISIS Fighter Praises Orlando Gunman In New Video “A man identified as an American ISIS fighter praised the Orlando nightclub gunman and urged more attacks on the U.S. in a video released by the terror group on Sunday – exactly one week after Omar Mateen slaughtered 49 people inside a Florida nightclub. During Mateen’s massacre, which also wounded 53 people, he called a 911 operator to pledge allegiance to ISIS. The terror group quickly claimed credit for the attack; however, officials have said there was no direct guidance from the jihadist organization. Rather, it is believed Mateen was only inspired by ISIS to carry out his assault on Pulse, a gay nightclub. But in the new video, identified by the non-governmental counterterrorism organization SITE, the American fighter urges other Muslims to be inspired by Mateen’s actions.” Voice Of America: Town Abandoned After Boko Haram Attack “Two weeks after an attack by the Islamist group Boko Haram left at least 30 people dead, the border community of Bosso, in Niger, has become a ghost town. Most of its population left and the area remains at risk to violence. A shoe, a half-full suitcase strewn in the backyard, the house doors left open… Most residents of Bosso left everything behind two weeks ago when the first gunshots rang through the town. Most of Bosso's estimated 25,000 residents left town. Two thirds were refugees and internally displaced persons. Alarmed residents in the general area also left their homes, leaving an estimated 50,000 people displaced.” Vanity Fair: How ISIS Became The World’s Deadliest Tech Start-Up “War is nothing new for Americans. It is estimated, in fact, that the United States has been embroiled in a conflict for some 222 of the past 240 years, or more than 90 percent of its very life as a nation. But the war that America finds itself currently enmeshed in with ISIS is unlike any other in the country’s history. During the Vietnam War, we knew who we were fighting, and where we were fighting—just as we had during the Great Sioux War, World War I, World War II, the Gulf War, the Iraq war, and even the war in Afghanistan. But with ISIS—an inchoate confederacy of like-minded thugs spread across a region, and increasingly, across the globe—we know none of these things. And a lot of this has to do with technology.” United States NPR: Investigators Say Orlando Shooter Showed Few Warning Signs Of Radicalization “As investigators probe the background of Omar Mateen, whose attack on Pulse nightclub in Orlando left 49 people dead, they say he bore few warning signs of radicalization. Mateen had allegedly pledged allegiance to ISIS in a 911 call during the attack, as The Two-Way has reported. But as further details emerge about the shooter, investigators say Mateen's profile is more like that of a ‘typical mass shooter’ than an individual radicalized by ISIS, as NPR's Dina Temple-Raston reports. In fact, intelligence officials and investigators say they're ‘becoming increasingly convinced that the motive for this attack had very little — or maybe nothing — to do with ISIS.’” The Washington Post: U.S. Will Seek Billions More To Support Afghan Military Efforts “America’s longest war is about to include more cash for Afghanistan’s army and police force — without any new conditions to try to ensure it doesn’t get gobbled up before making it to the battlefield. At a NATO summit in Warsaw that begins July 8, the United States and its allies will try to raise $15 billion to fund Afghan security forces through 2020. About $10.5 billion of that is expected to come from the United States, a continuation of commitments to pay and clothe Afghan security forces while supplying them with fuel, weapons and ammunition to fight Taliban insurgents. CNN: ISIS Threat To U.S. Air Bases, South Korea Intelligence Agency Warns “ISIS has collected information on 77 U.S. and NATO air force facilities around the world and is calling on supporters to attack them, according to South Korea's intelligence agency. The terror group has also released information on individuals in 21 countries, including the personal details of one employee of a South Korean welfare organization, the National Intelligence Service (NIS) said in a statement Sunday. That person is now under protection, the agency said. The NIS says ISIS' hacking organization, the United Cyber Caliphate, collected details of U.S. air force units in South Korea including Osan Air Base, and addresses and Google satellite maps have been released through the Telegram messaging service.” Syria Reuters: U.S.-Backed Forces Advance Against Islamic State In Syria “U.S.-backed Syrian forces edged closer to an Islamic State stronghold on the border with Turkey on Saturday while Russia's defense minister visited President Bashar al Assad to discuss military operations. The visit came only hours after the Syrian army and its Iranian-backed militias, which have been supported by Russian air power, lost several villages to Islamist rebels as they made significant advances in the countryside south of Aleppo. The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the rebel capture of three villages from government control - Zeitan, Khalsa and Barna - had caused significant losses among government forces and their allies.” The Jerusalem Post: Russia, US Agree On Need To Improve Military Coordination In Syria “Russia and the United States have agreed on the need to improve coordination to avert incidents while conducting military operations in Syria, the Russian defense ministry said on Sunday. Military officials from the two countries reached the agreement at a video conference, the ministry said. On Saturday the Pentagon said it had questioned Moscow over Russian air strikes conducted against U.S.-backed Syrian opposition forces last week. The Pentagon said Moscow had failed to heed US warnings.” Iraq Associated Press: UN: Thousands Of Iraqi Civilians Flee Fallujah Amid Clashes “Thousands of civilians are fleeing Fallujah after the city was declared liberated from the Islamic State group, the United Nations said, while an Iraqi commander reported fierce clashes as elite counterterrorism forces pushed to clear out the remaining militants. IS fighters launched missiles, detonated a suicide car bomb and deployed snipers against Iraqi forces, Brig. Gen. Haider al-Obeidi said. ‘Iraqi forces are still advancing despite the strong clashes,’ he said. Over the past three days, the U.N. says that nearly ten thousand families have fled Fallujah amid the heavy fighting. More than 80,000 civilians have fled Fallujah and its surrounding areas since the operation to retake the city from IS was announced last month, according to the U.N.” The Wall Street Journal: Iraqi Forces Extend Control In Fallujah  “Iraqi counterterrorism forces pushed deeper into Fallujah on Sunday, clearing Islamic State militants from a large hospital they had used as a command center and working to dismantle a bomb-making factory, officials said. ‘The victory in Fallujah is the gateway for the final victory against terrorism,’ said Saad al-Hadithi, a spokesman for Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi. Fallujah was seized by Islamic State in January 2014, six months before the start of a lightning blitz across Iraq that left about a third of country in the extremists’ hands. The city was said to be an important base of operations for attacks on the capital Baghdad, 40 miles to the east.” Haaretz: How Iraq Treats Liberated Fallujah May Decide Fight Against ISIS “The unfurling of an Iraqi flag over the government house and hospital in Fallujah doesn’t mean the city has been taken from the Islamic State. The group’s forces are still fighting on the western outskirts, and American and Iraqi commanders say the battle isn’t about to end. Fallujah is the second major city that Iraqi forces and Shi’ite militias – with U.S. air support above – have captured from the Islamic State. This was preceded by the taking of Ramadi about 70 kilometers away; the hope is that Fallujah will be followed by an ouster of the Islamic State from the Libyan port city of Sirte. The next stage is expected to be the capture of Mosul in Iraq and Raqqa, the ISIS capital in Syria. These two cities present a much larger challenge than those from which the Islamic State has been ousted in recent months.” USA Today: Islamic State Suffers Setbacks In Iraq, Syria “Islamic State militants struggled to hold ground on two fronts Sunday as Iraqi troops drove out pockets of resistance in Fallujah, while Syrian government forces pressed closer to the effective militant capital of Raqqa. The military gains, however, have done little to improve the dire humanitarian crisis facing the region. In Iraq, the Amiriyah Fallujah District Council said security forces had liberated more neighborhoods in northern Fallujah from Islamic State control, killing dozens of militants. District Council member Khodier al-Rashed told Iraqinews.com that security forces detonated multiple suicide bomb vehicles. The gains were announced two days after elite Iraqi forces, backed by U.S.-led coalition airstrikes, punched through Islamic State defenses in Fallujah, seizing the municipal compound and other buildings in the center of the city.”  Turkey The Jerusalem Post: Turkish Warplanes Hit PKK Targets In Turkey “The Turkish military carried out airstrikes on Saturday in the southeastern province of Diyarbakir against 16 targets belonging to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), military sources said. Turkish forces hit shelters and ammunition and food storage facilities, the sources said. Turkey has been staging regular air strikes against positions of the PKK in mountainous northern Iraq, where it has camps near the Turkish border, and in southeast Turkey since July 2015 after the militants' abandoned a ceasefire. Security operations inside Turkey have resulted in the deaths of thousands of civilians, soldiers, police and PKK militants.” BBC: Turkey Border Guards 'Shot Syrian Children' – Monitors “Turkish border guards have shot dead at least eight Syrians, including four children, who were trying to cross into Turkey, activists say. A further eight people were injured, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based monitoring group. It happened at a border crossing north of the Syrian town of Jisr al-Shugour, which is controlled by jihadist groups. The Turkish military insists guards fired only warning shots and that the Syrians dispersed. As well as four children, three women and a man were also killed, the Observatory said. Other Syrian opposition groups put the death toll at 11. Since the beginning of 2016, nearly 60 civilians have been shot while trying to flee across the border from Syria into Turkey, the Observatory says.” CNN: Islamists Attack Radiohead Fans At Turkish Release Party “A group of men attacked fans at a Radiohead listening party Friday in Istanbul, apparently angry the fans were drinking during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. Amateur video -- reported to have been live-streamed on Periscope-- appears to have captured the incident. In the video, the unidentified attackers enter the store shouting ‘close it, close it down’ aggressively as attendees were listening to Radiohead's newly launched album ‘A Moon Shaped Pool.’ The video shows the assailants, thought to be from the neighborhood, roughly removing one person from the store. After a few moments of yelling outside the shop, one of the attackers in a white shirt is seen returning and shouting at the remaining handful of people to get out of the store.” Afghanistan The Wall Street Journal: After Drone Strike, Uncertain Path To Afghan Peace “U.S. military drones crossed into Pakistani territory and fired missiles into a vehicle carrying Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansour, killing him and a driver. The killing was a setback to the peacemaking efforts by the Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs, the conflict-resolution group that met with Taliban representatives in Qatar. After the drone strike, the Pentagon called Mullah Mansour an obstacle to peace and President Barack Obama said he didn’t expect the Taliban to move toward peace talks soon. The Taliban’s political office believes the strike may jeopardize chances to restart talks, said a person familiar with the Taliban’s position.” Reuters: The Taliban’s Political Office Believes The Strike May Jeopardize Chances To Restart Talks, Said A Person Familiar With The Taliban’s Position. “A Taliban suicide bomber killed at least 14 people and wounded eight in an attack on a minibus carrying Nepalese security contractors in the Afghan capital, Kabul, early on Monday, officials said. A Reuters witness saw several apparently dead victims and at least two wounded being carried out of the yellow bus while police and emergency service vehicles surrounded the scene in the Banae district of the city. The attack was the latest in a recent surge of violence that highlights the challenges faced by the Afghan government in Kabul and its Western backers as Washington slowly draws down its remaining troops despite a persistent insurgency. Interior Ministry spokesman Sediq Sediqqi said on Twitter that 14 people had been killed and eight wounded. Police were working to identify the victims, he said.” Yemen Reuters: Yemen's Warring Sides Swap 194 Prisoners In Taiz “Houthi and pro-government forces exchanged nearly 200 prisoners in Taiz in central Yemen on Saturday, the largest such swap to take place in the embattled city since the beginning of a civil war last year, local sources said. The exchange of 118 Houthis and 76 pro-government fighters, will raise hopes that a ceasefire declared in April may be taking hold in Yemen's third largest city after repeated violations by both sides. The threat from an emerging common enemy may be galvanizing the two sides' efforts to cooperate. Islamic State militants appear to be behind a rapid uptick in suicide attacks and al Qaeda fighters continue to hold sway over swathes of Yemen, which abuts Saudi Arabia, the world's biggest oil exporter.” Egypt CNN: Egypt Sentences 6 People To Death, Including 2 Al Jazeera Journalists “An Egyptian court handed down death sentences to six people, including two Al Jazeera journalists, for alleged spying. The six, along with former President Mohammed Morsy and his aides, were accused of leaking state secrets to Qatar. The court ruled Saturday in support of a verdict ratified by Egypt's religious leaders in the case dubbed the ‘Qatar spying case.’ In addition to the two former employees of the Qatar-based network, a reporter for Rasd media channel was also among those convicted. The journalists were tried in absentia.” Reuters: Investigators Examine Damaged Egyptair Black Boxes “Investigators have begun analyzing the two severely damaged black boxes from EgyptAir flight MS804 as they seek to explain why the plane plunged into the sea, killing all 66 people on board. It would require ‘lots of time and effort’ to fix the two badly damaged black box recorders, sources on Egypt's Aircraft Accident Investigation Committee told Reuters on Sunday. The committee said it started the analysis of the devices, with representatives from France and the United States, which are crucial to explaining why the Airbus A320 crashed on May 19 en route from Paris to Cairo. The memory units from both the Cockpit Voice Recorder and the Flight Data Recorder were extracted from the devices and dried in a military facility for eight hours, the committee said in a statement.” Middle East Times Of Israel: Gaza Terror Groups Vow To Circumvent Underground Border Wall “Hamas and other Palestinian terror groups on Saturday vowed a tough reaction to reported plans by Israel to build an underground cement barrier along the Gaza border. The Hebrew daily newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reported Thursday that security chiefs had decided to go ahead with a multi-billion-shekel project for a concrete wall above and far below the entire 60 kilometers of the Israel-Gaza border in order to block Palestinians from digging their way into the country and carrying out attacks. Senior Hamas official Ismail Radwan told the Hamas-affiliated news site al-Resalah, ‘The resistance is able to adapt to all circumstances for the sake of continuing its project to liberate [Palestine].’” Libya Haaretz: Anti-ISIS Forces Make Inroads In Libya, But Any Victory Will Be A Hollow One “A few hundred kilometers away from the battered capital of Tripoli, a group of armed militias was fighting Islamic State (ISIS) warriors in Sirte, which lies along the Mediterranean coast. Reports from the battlefield indicated important achievements made by these militias, including the entry of forces loyal to the central government into the city center, with many jihadist casualties. The taking of Sirte, if successful, could prove to be a turning point in the struggle against jihadist groups in Libya, and could assist forces fighting ISIS in Syria and Iraq. But clearly the conquest of Sirte will not remove ISIS from Libya, since the group has bases in the southern part of the country as well.” Reuters: Libyan Unity Government Condemns Attack Near Eastern Oil Terminals “Libya's U.N.-backed unity government condemned an attack by a newly-formed militia group on eastern military forces close to key oil facilities, as clashes resumed on Sunday for a second day. Fighting erupted south of the coastal town of Ajdabiya on Saturday between military units loyal to Libya's eastern government and a group calling itself the Benghazi Defence Forces. At least three people were killed and 10 wounded, military spokesman Akram Bu Haliqa said. The Benghazi Defence Forces is largely composed of fighters pushed back earlier this year by brigades loyal to the eastern government commander Khalifa Haftar. Haftar has been waging a campaign for two years in Benghazi against Islamists, including some loyal to Islamic State, and other opponents.” Nigeria Associated Press: Boko Haram Says 7 Dead In Attack On Niger Police Barracks “Extremist group Boko Haram killed seven military police and injured three others in an attack on a barracks in southeast Niger, witnesses said Saturday. ‘They arrived around 6 p.m. and went to the police camp,’ said Idrissa Maman Sani, a humanitarian worker based in the Diffa region where the attack occurred Friday. ‘They killed six and a seventh died after reaching the hospital in Diffa.’ The Nigeria-based insurgents claimed responsibility for the deaths of ‘seven apostates’ in the attack, according to a statement distributed by SITE Intelligence Group, which monitors online extremist activity. The militants took ‘weapons and various ammunition’ before fleeing, according to the statement.” United Kingdom Daily Mail: British Jihadists Travel To Libya To Help ISIS In Its Final Stand As The Terror Group Clings On To Its Last Remaining Stronghold “British Jihadists are thought to have travelled directly from the UK to Libya to join Isis as the terror group prepares for its final stand in the country. Isis fighters have been pinned down in parts of Sirte since forces allied to the UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) launched an operation to dislodge them from the coastal city last month. The city represents the last Isis stronghold in the country, and British fighters loyal to the organisation are believed to have taken up arms to help the group cling on to the area. According to the Sunday Times, 20 British jihadists are currently in Libya fighting with Islamist groups, some having travelled directly from British shores and others joining from Syria.” France The Guardian: France: Two Men Linked To Jihadi Who Murdered Police Couple Charged “Two men linked to a jihadi who killed a French police officer and his partner were charged and detained by an anti-terror court on Saturday. Saad Rajraji, 27, and Charaf-Din Aberouz, 29, were charged with having links to a terrorist group, but not in connection to the Isis-inspired murder of the police couple carried out by Larossi Abballa last Monday. The two men had been convicted along with Abballa in September 2013 as part of a network to send jihadis to Pakistan, judicial sources close to the investigation said. A third man arrested in the case was released without charge. Abballa, a convicted radical who had been under surveillance, murdered the police officer and his partner outside their home and then was killed himself in a police raid.” Associated Press: French Court Orders Trial For Brother Of Toulouse Attacker “A French court has ordered the brother of an extremist who killed seven people in Toulouse to stand trial on terrorism charges. Mohamed Merah attacked a Jewish school and French paratroopers in the southwestern French city in 2012. A lawyer for his brother, Abdelkhader Merah, said Friday a Paris appeals court has upheld a decision by investigating judges to send him to trial for providing logistical and material support for his brother's rampage. He faces up to life in prison if convicted of complicity to murder in relation to a terrorist undertaking.” Europe BBC: Scottish Firms Asked To Join Terrorism Awareness Scheme “Scottish businesses and organisations are being urged to sign up for a scheme to keep their staff and the public safe in the event of a terrorist attack. The scheme, called Project Griffin, is aimed at workers in busy or crowded places, including the hospitality industry and the health service. It will outline the threat of terrorism and teach people what to do if they are caught up in a terrorist incident. It will also help them recognise and report suspicious activity. The industry self-delivery scheme has been rolled out by the National Counter Terrorism Security Office (NaCTSO), with the aim of reaching one million people across the UK.” CNN: Belgian Police Arrest 12 In Overnight Raids “Belgian authorities questioned 40 people and arrested 12 of them in an overnight raid related to a terrorism investigation, the federal prosecutor's office said. The operation Friday into Saturday included searches of dozens of houses, according to a statement from the prosecutor's office. The searches were spread through 16 municipalities. ‘The investigatory results necessitated an immediate intervention,’ the prosecutor's office said. ‘The investigation continues. In the interest of the investigation, currently no further details can be given.’ Belgian state broadcaster RTBF reported Saturday that the overnight raids were made after messages were intercepted indicating attacks were being planned. The possible targets were places where Belgian football fans congregate to watch Euro 2016 games.” The New York Times: Belgium Says It Prevented A Terror Attack On Soccer Fans “The police raided dozens of sites across Belgium and brought in 40 people for questioning in an operation to interrupt a terrorist plot to attack fans gathering to watch a televised soccer match between the Belgian and Irish national teams, government officials said on Saturday. Three Belgians were charged with an attempt to commit terrorist murder and participation in the activities of a terrorist group, the Belgian federal prosecutors’ office said. The others brought in for questioning were released by Saturday evening.” BBC: Three Charged After Counter-Terror Raids In Belgium “Belgian authorities have charged three men with terrorism offences, including attempting to commit murder, following a huge overnight operation. Nine other people who had also been arrested have been released by the investigating judge, the federal prosecutor's office said. Searches were conducted overnight in 16 municipalities, mainly around Brussels, with checks on 152 lock-up garages. PM Charles Michel said security would be stepped up at public events. Belgian media had earlier reported that militant Islamists may have been planning to attack the football fan zone in Brussels, where Belgium's games in the Euro 2016 tournament in France are screened.” Daily Mail: It's Not Over': Minister Warns Of More Euro 2016 Terror Threats As Three Are Charged Over ISIS Plot And A Dozen Suspects Remain In Custody “A Belgian minister has warned of more Euro 2016 terror plots as it emerged a dozen suspects remain in custody following a series of raids. In a mass operation, police arrested 40 people in Brussels, Liege and Anderlecht in the early hours of Saturday morning. Amid fears of an 'imminent' attack on Euro 2016 football fanzone, Interio Minister Jan Jambon warned: 'It's not over'. Security experts in both France and Belgium have warned that Euro 2016 fanzones in major cities such as Brussels and Paris could easily turn into deathtraps if they are targeted by the kind of Kalashnikov-weilding suicide bombers involved in earlier attacks.  Belgian media has also reported that four top ministers, including Prime Minister Charles Michel, have received special protection following unspecified threats.” Technology Fortune: Lawsuit Claims Twitter, Facebook, Google Liable For Terrorism “The family of a victim of the Paris terrorist attacks in November of last year filed suit this week against Twitter, Google, and Facebook, claiming that the platforms have ‘knowingly permitted the terrorist group ISIS to use their social networks as a tool for spreading extremist propaganda.’ The suit describes this as ‘material support’ for terrorism, saying that without social media, the growth of ISIS ‘would not have been possible.’ The suit claims the accused companies provided ‘provision of material support to ISIS’ that ‘was a proximate cause’ of the suffering of Reynaldo Gonzalez after his daughter’s death. It outlines multiple instances of fundraising and publicity campaigns conducted via social media. However, an array of legal experts interviewed by Ars Technica say that the suit has little chance of moving through the courts.” Arabic Language Clips Financing of Terrorism Tunisien.Tn: Kasserine: Detention Of Six (Tunisians) Who Financed Terrorists In Mountains The National Unit for the Investigation of Terrorist Crimes, part of the National Guard in el Aouina, in coordination with counter terror departments in Kasserine and Qabali, detained six suspected terrorists from Hassi el Ferid district in Kasserine Governorate. The suspects were charged with transporting and securing the movement of terrorists through the mountains of Kasserine and towards Sidi Bouzid.  They employed cars and motorcycles in their movements. The arrested locals were also involved in providing logistical aid to militants and supplying them with information on movements of the military and security patrols. The National Unit ultimately seized the transportation vehicles used for the movements. Alalam: Figures… Huge Losses Incurred Due To Acts Of Terrorism In Iraq The Iraqi Ministry of Planning estimates that the country's financial losses surpassed the 36 trillion dinar ($32.5 billion) benchmark for the 2003 – 2016 period. This is due to the terrorist acts which targeted state institutions as well as private sector establishments. The ministry claims that 61% of these losses occurred after ISIS's occupation of certain regions of the country. The ministry downplayed the government's ability to finance a nationwide reconstruction program because of the financial crunch being experienced by Iraq as a result of the low oil prices. The government is placing its hopes on the Fund for the Reconstruction of War-stricken Regions in order to obtain donations from foreign countries. It will give priority to service-providing projects related to the lives of the citizens. Middle East Online: Allah's Funds Are Not For Financing Terrorism In Bahrain Bahraini authorities announced on Saturday evening that they would monitor the sources and beneficiaries of "Allah's funds" which are collected for religious purposes. Bahrain aims to achieve its goal of combating terror financing while encouraging people to donate. Bahraini authorities stressed they would tighten procedures surrounding fundraising activities to make sure that the money will not be used for political purposes or for funding terrorism. The head of the office in charge of licensing fundraising for religious purposes, Mohammed Taher Al Qattan, noted that the main task of the office is to check the legality of the sources of these funds, as well as the legality of what the money is being spent on. Gulf Eyes: (Kuwait) Finance House Was Not Handed A Lawsuit Accusing It Of Financing Terrorism Kuwait Finance House has denied allegations published on some social media pages, which accused it of ties to outlawed extremist groups. It stressed that the Kuwaiti bank was not included in a lawsuit filed recently against an outlawed extremist group. The allegations refer to Kuwait Finance House's operations in Kuwait and Turkey. In a letter sent to the Kuwaiti Stock Exchange, the Bank emphasized it had not received any formal lawsuit in this regard, adding that the Bank operates in accordance with the highest standards of ethics and integrity and in full compliance with all international standards, laws, and local rules and regulations. ISIS 3roba News: ISIS Loots Cooking Gas Cylinders Worth A Quarter Billion (Of Iraqi) Dinars From Fallujah A leader in al-Hashd al-Asha'ri in Anbar province confirmed on Saturday that ISIS militants have moved 5,000 cylinders of cooking gas from a Fallujah gas plant to Al Qaim district in western Anbar province. Leader Mohammed al-Dulaimi was quoted as saying: "After the liberation by security forces and the sons of the tribes of Fallujah, we discovered that ISIS had stolen some 5,000 cooking gas cylinders and transferred them to al Qaim district before security forces entered the city center." He explained that "…the total value of the stolen gas cylinders is estimated at a quarter of a billion Iraqi dinars ($226,000)," and added: "After the Fallujah gas plant stopped (production), the gas cylinder price amounted to 40,000 dinars ($36)." 24: ISIS Finance Official In Kirkuk Steals Millions Of Dollars A security source in Kirkuk province reported that an "ISIS official in charge of its finances in the areas under its control has vanished, along with millions of dollars." The source said that "what is known is that the head of ISIS's Finance House in the southwestern regions of Kirkuk disappeared with millions of dollars." The source disclosed that the ISIS official "had promised to purchase food and distribute it to the poor and needy in Hawija, but he took the money and went into hiding." Muslim Brotherhood Amad: Egyptian Security Services Deal Harsh Blow To Economy Of The Brotherhood Egyptian security services over the past few days succeeded in dealing a severe blow to the "alternative" economy of the Muslim Brotherhood. This was achieved by detaining several businessmen who own currency exchange offices in various provinces of the Republic. The businessmen are suspected of involvement in a plot to harm Egypt's economy by collecting and smuggling hard currency out of the country. Judicial sources disclosed that the Supreme State Security Prosecution is nearing completion of investigations of key Muslim Brotherhood businessman, Hassan Malek. The Supreme State Security Prosecution also decided to seize millions of dollars found in the possession of owners of currency exchange offices. This came about after it turned out that the Brotherhood used businessmen not known for their affiliation to the group to complete the "conspiracy" launched by Malek, to harm the national economy by collecting hard currency from the market. Elnada News: Ahmed Moussa Warns Against Donating In Mosques: Money Goes To Brotherhood To Kill Us Tomorrow Prominent Egyptian TV anchor Ahmed Moussa told citizens to beware of certain individuals collecting donations in mosques ostensibly for constructing hospitals or for some other charitable purpose. Moussa stated on Sunday evening, "… Countries (are involved), not the Brotherhood, but they are supporters of this group, and all the proceeds (collected) go to the Brotherhood. Beware, they will approach you to take your money today but will kill you tomorrow." He continued, "In Saudi Arabia, anyone collecting donations in an illegal or legal way, is hereby warned. The authorities said that any person collecting money will be held accountable by the law." Hezbollah Al Jazeera: Israeli Newspapers: Hezbollah Collapsing Economically An Israeli newspaper claimed that the Lebanese Hezbollah group is in a state of economic collapse and described it as the toughest situation since its inception. This leads the group to act in an incomprehensible manner, it added. The newspaper reported in its Thursday's edition that this situation of economic collapse has made Hezbollah unable, for the time being, to extricate itself from its Syrian quagmire. This combined with international sanctions imposed on Hezbollah have pushed the organization to act "in an incomprehensible way." For his part, Jonathan Schanzer, a former U.S. Treasury terrorism finance analyst, stated that the imposition of sanctions on Hezbollah by the US law will not necessarily lead to its downfall, but will present it with difficulties and obstacles it did not face in the past. Houthi Al Quds Al-Arabi: Yemen: Government To Lay Economic And Logistical Siege On (Houthi) Rebels Amid Signs Of Failure In Peace Consultations As Well As Inadvisability Of Military Takeover Official sources revealed that the Yemeni government has moved to lay an economic siege on Houthi rebels following emerging signs of failure in peace consultations being held in Kuwait. This is in addition to the presence of internal and external obstacles to a decisive military operation in the Yemeni capital of Sanaa. The sources explained that among the steps taken by the government to economically blockade the rebels, is the cessation of international transactions with the Central Bank in the capital Sanaa. It will be replaced by the branch of the Central Bank in the interim capital of Aden, which will be declared as the de facto central bank of the legitimate Yemeni government. This comes after reports that the rebels have withdrawn all cash reserves from the Central Bank in Sanaa.