Sunday, July 10, 2016

IPT Blogs: Ex-ISNA President Drops Lawsuit Against Canadian Terrorism Expert David Harris and Pro-ISIS Hackers Post Purported Dallas Police Information


Steven Emerson, Executive Director
July 8, 2016

Ex-ISNA President Drops Lawsuit Against Canadian Terrorism Expert David Harris

by IPT News  •  Jul 8, 2016 at 1:16 pm
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Former ISNA President Ingrid Mattson has dropped her own defamation lawsuit against Canadian counterterrorism expert David Harris after over a year of legal proceedings supported by the Lawfare Project.
During an October 2014 radio interview focusing on the threat from Canadian foreign fighters, Harris, a former chief of strategic planning for the Canadian Intelligence and Security Service (CSIS), referred to Mattson and other prominent Islamists as "radicals" and problematic figures in the battle against terrorism.
Harris pointed out the "problem of commending radicals like Dr. Ingrid Mattson and Siraj Wahhaj, as experts or Islamic scholars of use in counter-radicalization."
The interview also featured American Islamic Forum for Democracy founder Zuhdi Jasser, who described Mattson as "pro-Islamist" while criticizing the National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM)'s "counter-radicalization handbook," United Against Terrorism. NCCM is the Canadian affiliate of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), an Islamist organization with a well-documented history of controversial and radical associations.
The use of the term "radical" apparently set Mattson off, leading her to file a lawsuit that challenged Harris' freedom of speech. Harris refused to offer any concessions or apologies.
Mattson was the ISNA president when the organization was designated an unindicted co-conspirator in the 2007 Holy Land Foundation trial, which involved U.S.-based Islamist groups and individuals funneling money to Hamas.
In announcing the lawsuit's end, the Lawfare Project speculated that Mattson dropped the case "likely fearing what a full legal-disclosure process would reveal."
Click here for more information on the case.
"There is a reason why freedom of speech is often called 'the first freedom,'" Harris said. "...In this era of terrorism and other national security challenges, constitutionally inappropriate inhibitions on this freedom – whether through government imposition, private machinations, personal self-censoring, or otherwise – undermine our capacity responsibly and efficiently to identify, define, and confront domestic and foreign threats."

Pro-ISIS Hackers Post Purported Dallas Police Information

by John Rossomando  • 
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In the wake of Thursday night's shooting death of five police officers during a Black Lives Matter protest, pro-ISIS hackers posted thousands of what it says are Dallas Police Department records on their Telegram social media channel.
These records, listed in Excel spreadsheets, include the names, addresses and races of thousands of people it claims were arrested by Dallas police officers. Also posted were 12,619 alleged records showing the names, ranks, and salaries of what it claims are Dallas police officers. The Dallas Police Department has approximately 3,500 officers, so many the list could be bogus, or many of the people named may no longer be employed by the department.
In addition, the list does not include the names of fallen officers Michael Krol, Patrick Zamarippa, Lorne Ahrens, and Brent Thompson, casting further doubt on its legitimacy. Two people named Michael Smith, the fifth officer killed, do appear, but it is not known whether either entry is the same Michael Smith.
The United Cyber Caliphate, which posted the material, is known for hijacking web sites and posting kill lists of individuals in the U.S. and elsewhere for lone jihadists to hunt down; however, analysts do not believe it has direct ISIS ties. French authorities believe the group may have ties to Russia's hacking apparatus.
Many of its kill lists amount to taking credit for work done by other hackers. It distributed a kill list of more than 4,000 people last month showing their names, addresses and emails. Over half of these people were American, and an Excel spreadsheet with the same names could easily be found online, according to Vocativ. An FBI source concurred, saying that the pro-ISIS hackers lack sophistication.
In many cases, the United Cyber Caliphate's information is outdated.
Nonetheless, intelligence and law-enforcement officials take the lists seriously.
A garbled message, United Cyber Caliphate appears to hope to take advantage of racial tension as a catalyst for further violence. "In a Country warble of Freedom in the Media Are all the 'Black' Criminals ? Or it's just #America is the Terrorist? Speaking of racism Look at the Race chart from #Dallas Police Station and see the ratio of the 'White VS 'Black& Latino.'"
Dallas native and former FBI Assistant Director Oliver "Buck" Revell told the Investigative Project on Terrorism this list needs to be taken seriously in the light of last night's events.
"Potentially there are people looking for a trigger, and even though this may be erroneous this makes for a dangerous circumstance and something to be aware of," Revell said. "People are looking for something to do, and there were plenty of indications of that last night. This needs rigorous attention."
Revell is concerned that extremists even of a non-jihadist nature could use the information to cause harm.
"This should not be ignored, and we need to take as much action as we can," Revell said.

The IPT accepts no funding from outside the United States, or from any governmental agency or political or religious institutions. Your support of The Investigative Project on Terrorism is critical in winning a battle we cannot afford to lose. All donations are tax-deductible. Click here to donate online. The Investigative Project on Terrorism Foundation is a recognized 501(c)3 organization.  


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