CEP WEEKLY ROUNDUP

News and Updates from the Counter Extremism Project

CEP Policy and Program Updates

New Resources Released on ISIS Attackers and Extremism in Belgium
In the aftermath of the March 22 triple bombings in Brussels that killed 32 people and wounded more than 300, CEP released new resources on ISIS terrorists as well as extremism and counter-extremism in Belgium. Since the attacks, those resources have been continually updated to reflect the latest information on the investigations and the connections between the ISIS attacks in Brussels and Paris. The CEP Brussels office is a short walk from one of the bombing targets, the Maelbeek metro station. CEP Brussels Director Roberta Bonazzi provided insights on extremism and problems with radicalization and extremist recruitment in Brussels in a Politico op-ed and in interviews with, among others, CBSN News, CNN, and the Toronto Star. In addition, CEP published six leadership reports on individuals linked to the attacks.

Salah Abdeslam: One of at least 10 terrorists who carried out the deadly ISIS attacks in Paris, France, on November 13, 2015.
Najim Laachraoui: An alleged bomb-maker connected to the ISIS attack in Paris and the second suicide bomber in the Zaventem airport bombing in Brussels.
Mohamed Abrini: A suspect in both the Brussels bombings and Paris attacks, the 31-year-old Belgian was the “man in the hat” captured on security cameras at Zaventem airport with two suicide bombers, before fleeing without detonating his device.
Osama Krayem: The 23-year-old Swedish citizen was arrested alongside Mohamed Abrini and was reportedly seen moments before the Brussels attacks with Khalid El Bakraoui, the suicide bomber responsible for targeting Maelbeek metro station.
Khalid Zerkani: The 42-year-old charismatic Moroccan recruiter, facilitator, and propagandist, is serving a 15-year-sentence in Belgium on terrorism-related charges. Zerkani has ties to several notorious ISIS operatives who carried out the deadly attacks in Paris and Brussels.
Abu Ramzi Ashami: An ISIS Twitter propagandist, he applauded the ISIS attacks in Brussels, warning of more carnage. He has been suspended from Twitter many times but keeps returning.

CEP Applauds Kerry Declaration of ISIS Genocide
CEP issued a statement applauding Secretary of State John Kerry’s declaration on March 17 that the Islamic State (ISIS) is responsible for genocide against groups in areas under its control, including Yezidis, Christians, and Shia Muslims. CEP said it hoped the public declaration “translates into sustained and concentrated action to stop a continuing human catastrophe.”
CEP Research and Analysis

Ku Klux Klan: History and Violent Activities
A new CEP resource documents the history, beliefs, violent activities, and evolution of the Ku Klux Klan (KKK), America’s oldest and best known white supremacist organization. Formed in 1865 as a social club, the KKK quickly became a terror organization targeting black community leaders. Its official membership reached a peak of almost five million in the mid-1920s. While some chapters seek to downplay racism in favor of rhetoric that emphasizes white solidarity and preservation of the white race, violence remains an essential group element. In 2014, Frazier Glenn Cross Jr. (a.k.a. Miller), the founder of the Carolina Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, murdered three people at Jewish community centers in Kansas and Missouri and was sentenced to death in 2015. After white supremacist Dylann Roof shot and killed nine African-Americans at a church in Charleston, South Carolina, the Loyal White Knights of the KKK reportedly distributed Klan propaganda with bags of candy to front lawns in Alabama, California, Georgia, Kansas, and Mississippi. The KKK has formal chapters in 41 states, Canada, and in foreign countries.
CEP Resource Details History, Ideology of Global Islamist Movement Hizb ut-Tahrir
A new resource detailing the history, growth, and beliefs of Hizb ut-Tahrir (HT) was released by CEP on March 31. HT is an Islamist organization with chapters in 40 countries that advocates for the establishment of a global caliphate. While billing itself as non-violent political party seeking to reestablish the caliphate only in the Muslim world, HT frequently exploits anti-Western propaganda, for example, blaming violence against Muslims in Muslim-majority countries on Western domestic and foreign policies. At least 13 countries worldwide have banned HT, including Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Uzbekistan, Russia, and China. A number of active HT members have gone on to join ISIS and commit acts of terror domestically and abroad, including ISIS executioner “Jihadi John,” Australian hostage taker and killer Man Haron Monis, and 2003 Tel Aviv bomber Omar Sharif.
CounterPoint Blog: What Comes Next for Thwarted Foreign Fighters?
French officials may have successfully prevented two young women from leaving to join ISIS in Syria, but what happens next? In this blog, CEP Analyst Julie Shain examines how counties are attempting to cope with citizens stopped before reaching ISIS controlled territory, as well as returning foreign fighters.
CounterPoint Blog: The Emerging ISIS Front in Bangladesh
While the Bangladeshi government continues to deny the presence of ISIS, increased violence against religious minorities and foreigners attributed to pro-ISIS militants continue and has many wondering if Islamist militancy is on the rise in that country. CEP Analyst Supna Zaidi Peery details in her blog the government’s response to recent ISIS killings and actions by other extremist groups operating there.
CounterPoint Blog: Afghan Fulbrighters for Peace Seek to Reduce Violence in Afghanistan
A group of Afghan Fulbright Scholars established Afghan Fulbrighters for Peace (AFP) in July 2015 to mobilize Afghans in the United States to engage in policy debates relevant to their country. In this guest blog, they describe their February conference and lay out their recommendations for solving the problems of insurgency, ending corruption, and building democratization in Afghanistan.
CounterPoint Blog: Confronting the Drivers of Radicalism
On the heels of the triple bombings in Brussels that killed 31 people, this blog by Supna Zaidi Peery explores some of the conditions that have contributed to extremism around the world. She concludes that there is a pressing need for Muslims from the government level down to the community level to confront the sectarian drivers radicalizing Muslims towards violence.
CounterPoint Blog: Social Media Company Representatives Appear Before U.K. Parliament Committee
This first blog from the CEP U.K. staff describes a February 2, 2016, appearance by representatives of tech giants Google, Facebook, and Twitter in front of the U.K. Parliament’s Home Affairs Select Committee, as part of its Countering Extremism Inquiry. While all the companies condemned extremist narratives, the blog points out that testimony revealed that none of the companies monitor the content of their websites or have teams dedicated to ensuring that extremist and terrorist activity was reported to the authorities. Instead, they rely on users (i.e. the general public) to report activity of concern.
Tweet of the Week
CEP extensively monitors Twitter and other social media sites and frequently features a tweet in the Weekly Roundup emblematic of messaging from pro-ISIS followers.