Eye on Extremism February 8, 2017

Eye on Extremism February 8, 2017 The New York Times: White House Weighs Terrorist Designation For Muslim Brotherhood “President Trump’s advisers are debating an order intended to designate the Muslim Brotherhood as a foreign terrorist organization, targeting the oldest and perhaps most influential Islamist group in the Middle East. A political and social organization with millions of followers, the Brotherhood officially renounced violence decades ago and won elections in Egypt after the fall of President Hosni Mubarak in 2011. Affiliated groups have joined the political systems in places like Tunisia and Turkey, and President Barack Obama long resisted pressure to declare it a terrorist organization.” Reuters: White House Weighs Designating Iran’s Revolutionary Guard A Terrorist Group “U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration is considering a proposal that could lead to potentially designating Iran’s powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization, according to U.S. officials familiar with the matter. The officials said several U.S. government agencies have been consulted about such a proposal, which if implemented would add to measures the United States has already imposed on individuals and entities linked to the IRGC. The IRGC is by far Iran’s most powerful security entity, which also has control over large stakes in Iran’s economy and huge influence in its political system.” USA Today: U.S.-Led Coalition Focuses On Training A Post-ISIL Police Force In Iraq “The U.S.-led coalition is training 3,000 Iraqi police and border officers to help provide security in Iraq once Islamic State militants are pushed out of their last major stronghold in Mosul. The move reflects a shift from training an advancing army that has been repelling the militants to building a security force capable of countering the radical group's return to its roots as terrorists utilizing bombs and guerrilla tactics. When the Islamic State no longer functions as an occupying force, ‘the requirements … will be a little bit different,’ said U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Joe Martin, who commands trainers and advisers in Iraq.” Associated Press: Suicide Bomber Strikes Afghan Supreme Court, Killing 19 “A suicide bomber struck an entrance to Afghanistan's Supreme Court on Tuesday, killing at least 19 people in the latest in a series of attacks on the country's judiciary. The attacker was on foot, and targeted a side door as court employees and other people were exiting the building in downtown Kabul, the Interior Ministry said. Public Health Minister Ferozuddin Feroz said 41 people were wounded, including 10 in critical condition. No one immediately claimed the attack, which bore the hallmarks of the Taliban. The insurgents have been at war with the U.S.-backed government for 15 years and have increasingly targeted the judiciary since the execution of six convicted insurgents last May.” Reuters: Gulf-Backed Yemeni Forces Capture Red Sea Coast City: Agency “Yemeni government forces backed by Gulf Arab troops have secured the Red Sea coast city of al-Mokha, United Arab Emirates news agency WAM reported on Tuesday, in a push that paves the way for an advance on the country's main port city of Hodeidah. Supporters of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi have been fighting for weeks to capture the small town, which once served as a main port for exporting coffee, from the Iran-aligned Houthi that has held it since early 2015. The advance comes amid rising tensions between the United States and Iran since President Donald Trump came to office in January. U.S. officials said last week that the United States had deployed a Navy destroyer, the USS Cole, to patrol off the coast of Yemen to protect waterways from Houthis, including escorting vessels.” The Times Of Israel: Elite Hamas Fighters Defecting To Islamic State “A member of Hamas’s naval commando unit defected from the Gaza-based terror organization nearly a year ago to join the Sinai Province — the Islamic State group’s branch in the Sinai Peninsula, Palestinian sources told The Times of Israel. Abed al-Wahad Abu Aadara, 20, from the city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, was arrested approximately two months ago by Hamas while visiting Gaza due to his affiliation with IS. He has since been freed. Although Abu Aadara is not the first Hamas operative to defect to IS, he is the first known member of the group’s naval commando unit to join its ranks.” U.S. News And World Report: Man Convicted Of Helping Plot Texas Attack To Be Sentenced “Sentencing is set Wednesday for an American-born Muslim convert convicted of helping to plot a 2015 attack on a Prophet Muhammad cartoon contest in Texas. Abdul Malik Abdul Kareem also will be sentenced on his conviction for supporting the Islamic State group. Prosecutors are seeking a life sentence. His attorney has asked for less than six years of prison time. Authorities say Kareem provided the guns that two friends used to open fire outside the anti-Islam event in suburban Dallas and hosted the two Islamic State followers at his home to discuss the upcoming attack. His friends, Elton Simpson and Nadir Soofi, were killed in a police shootout outside the contest.” Daily Beast: Big Game: U.S. Soldiers' Secret Hunt For Jihadists In A Kenyan Forest “Tucked into the northeast end of the country’s coast, the Boni National Reserve is a fairy-tale paradise, a resplendent ecosystem packed with elephantine baobab trees and hydra-headed doum palms. This mix of riverine forest and swampy grassland is home to some of the country’s largest herds of game, and to rare species like the wild dog, Somali lion, and reticulated giraffe. There are no rhinoceros left here, but Doza Diza, 66, talks about seeing kifaru often. The safari word for rhino has been re-purposed by the locals as a name for the armor-plated Humvees whose machine-gun mounts recall the animal’s distinctive horn.” Fox News: Fair-Weather Fighters: ISIS Jihadists Claim Headaches, Bad Backs To Get Out Of Battle, Documents Show “Foreign fighters in particular seem to be going soft in the face of an offensive led by the Iraqi national military, Kurdish fighters and international forces. Documents discovered in recently liberated sections of Mosul show how the fair-weather jihadists go to great lengths to get out of combat. The Washington Post reported that Iraqi forces who took over an ISIS base in Mosul found a document lamenting 14 ‘problem’ fighters from the Tariq Bin Ziyad battalion. On the surface, reports that militants are on the ropes in former stronghold cities appears to be a good thing, but some disenfranchised members may work their way back to Europe. Tall, gaunt, and with a bad eye, Doza Diza wears a traditional Somali sarong and a Muslim skullcap. He describes himself as a former county councilor and crab fisherman.” ABC News: UN: 120K Nigerians Likely Face Boko Haram-Created Famine “More than 120,000 Nigerians likely will suffer "catastrophic" famine-like conditions caused by Boko Haram's Islamic uprising, among 11 million confronting severe food shortages this year, according to a new U.N. report. The report from the Food and Agriculture Organization predicts that Africa's biggest humanitarian crisis likely will deteriorate during the "lean" food season between June and August in northeast Nigeria. Worst affected is Borno state, the birthplace of Boko Haram, which may hold 65 percent of those "expected to face famine conditions." U.N. agencies have reported that children already are dying in the region and some half a million face death if they don't get help. Corruption and conflict between the government and aid agencies is compounding the crisis. Officials are investigating reports that local government agencies are stealing food aid.” New York Times: 30-Year Sentence For Man Who Burned Florida Mosque Attended By Omar Mateen “A Florida man who admitted that he had burned a mosque attended by Omar Mateen, the gunman behind the Pulse nightclub massacre in Orlando, Fla., last year, has been sentenced to 30 years in prison. The man, Joseph Schreiber, 32, pleaded no contest — effectively a guilty plea — during a hearing on Monday in St. Lucie County. Mr. Schreiber, who had a previous criminal record and who had posted anti-Islamic views on social media, told detectives he set fire to the Islamic Center of Fort Pierce on the anniversary of the Sept. 11 terror attacks, which in 2016 also fell on Eid al-Adha, an important Muslim holiday, Assistant State Attorney Steve Gosnell said. The mosque was so badly damaged — photos published online show a gaping hole in the roof and an interior burned to a crisp — that it is expected to be relocated.” United States Fox News: CIA Chief To Visit Turkey To Discuss Security Issues “U.S. Central Intelligence head Mike Pompeo will visit Turkey on Thursday to discuss security issues, including Turkey's fight against a movement led by a U.S.-based cleric accused of orchestrating the failed military coup, Turkish officials said. According to officials from President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's office who cannot be named because of government regulations, the visit was decided during a 45-minute telephone conversation between U.S. President Donald Trump and Erdogan late on Tuesday. Trump discussed the ‘close, long-standing relationship’ between the U.S. and Turkey, in addition welcoming the country's ‘contributions to the counter-ISIS campaign,’ the White House said in a statement.” Reuters: Trump Risks Deeper Entanglement In Yemen's Murky War “Yemen is emerging as a test ground for U.S. President Donald Trump's forceful approach to al Qaeda and Iran, but his first actions there risk drawing his administration further into its convoluted two-year-old war. A U.S. raid last month killed several al Qaeda militants but also left a Navy SEAL and several civilians dead, while the deployment of a destroyer to patrol the Red Sea coast drew the ire of Yemen's Houthi movement, an ally of Iran. The flurry of operations since Trump took power on Jan. 20 included three drone strikes on suspected al Qaeda militants and increased logistical support for a Saudi-led campaign against the Houthis that began under his predecessor Barack Obama.” CNN: Journalists Call Out White House Claims On Terror Reporting “Journalists are calling out a White House claim that news outlets are failing to adequately report terror attacks. On Monday, the White House issued a list of 78 terror attacks to underscore President Donald Trump's assertion that the media is failing to adequately report them. Trump told enlisted service-members at MacDill Air Force Base in Florida that attacks were happening ‘all over Europe’ and that ‘it's gotten to a point where it's not even being reported.’ ‘And in many cases, the very, very dishonest press doesn't want to report it. They have their reasons, and you understand that,’ Trump added.” Syria Reuters: Air Strikes Hit Syria's Rebel-Held Idlib, Around 30 Dead: Residents, Monitor “At least 30 people died in air strikes on the rebel-held Syrian city of Idlib on Tuesday, in some of the heaviest raids there in months, witnesses and rescue workers said. Around eight attacks by what witnesses believed to be Russian jets wounded scores of people and leveled several multi-storey buildings in residential areas of the northwestern city, they added. Russia's Defense Ministry later said media reports that its planes had bombed Idlib were not true, Interfax news agency reported. Two rescue workers said the death toll was at least 30. The U.K.-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least 26 people were killed and casualties were expected to rise as rescue workers searched for bodies under the rubble.” Voice Of America: Resumption Of Syrian Peace Talks Confirmed As Humanitarian Conditions Deteriorate “The United Nations confirms Syrian peace talks will resume February 20 in Geneva, amid reports of further obstruction by the Syrian government to allow the distribution of humanitarian aid. The United Nations says it will send out invitations to the warring parties to attend the Syrian peace talks on February 8. The negotiations originally were set to begin that day, but were postponed until February 20 to allow a cease-fire to take hold, a basic demand by the opposition. Special Envoy for Syria spokeswoman Yara Sharif says a joint group has been established to ensure an effective cease-fire takes place.” Reuters: Amnesty Says Syria Executes, Tortures Thousands At Prison; Government Denies “The Syrian government executed up to 13,000 prisoners in mass hangings and carried out systematic torture at a military jail near Damascus, rights watchdog Amnesty International said on Tuesday. The Syrian Justice Ministry denied the Amnesty report, calling it completely ‘devoid of truth’, Syrian state news agency SANA reported late on Tuesday. Amnesty said the executions took place between 2011 and 2015, but were probably still being carried out and amounted to war crimes. It called for a further investigation by the United Nations, which produced a report last year with similar accusations also based on extensive witness testimonies. Syria's government and President Bashar al-Assad have rejected similar reports in the past of torture and extrajudicial killings in a war that has claimed hundreds of thousands of lives.” Iraq Reuters: Islamic State Sees Chance To Revive Fortunes In Trump Presidency “President Donald Trump has set out to crush Islamic State when it is already at a low ebb, but Islamists and some analysts say his actions could strengthen the ultra-hardline group by creating new recruits and inspiring attacks on U.S. soil. IS has been weakened in recent months by battlefield defeats, the loss of territory in Iraq, Syria and Libya, and a decline in its finances and the size of its fighting forces. Trump's pledge to eradicate ‘Islamic extremism’ looks at first sight to be yet another blow to Islamic State's chances of success. But Middle East experts and IS supporters say his election triumph could help revive the group's fortunes. They also believe his move late last month to temporarily ban refugees and bar nationals from seven mainly Muslim countries could work in the group's favor.” Voice Of America: UN Report: Military Pressure On IS Has Group On 'Defensive' “The United Nations says the so-called Islamic State terror group has not been able to withstand sustained military pressure in several conflict zones at once and is on the defensive. In its biannual report on the state of IS and al-Qaida, the U.N. says recruitment of foreign terrorist fighters to IS in Iraq and Syria ‘has slowed considerably’ and fighters are increasingly leaving the battlefield. Islamic State's finances are also on the decline, forcing it to operate on a ‘crisis’ budget, and the territory it holds has shrunk significantly. ‘ISIL is adapting in several ways to military pressure,’ U.N. political chief Jeffrey Feltman told the Security Council in a briefing Tuesday, using one of the acronyms by which the terrorists are known. He said the group is ‘resorting to increasingly covert communication and recruitment methods, including by using the dark web, encryption and messengers.’” Turkey Reuters: Turkey Sacks 4,400 More Civil Servants, Including Teachers And Police “Turkey has dismissed more than 4,400 civil servants including teachers, police officers and academics over their suspected links with terrorist organizations, a decree showed late on Tuesday, in the latest purge since a failed coup last July. Ibrahim Kaboglu, a prominent constitution professor who has expressed opposition to planned constitutional changes giving President Tayyip Erdogan greater executive powers, was among those ousted under the decree published in the Official Gazette. Court clerks, computer experts and librarians were also among 4,464 sacked, part of a crackdown since the July coup bid which Turkey says was carried out by U.S.-based Islamic cleric Fethullah Gulen. Gulen denies the allegation. The dismissals drew criticism on social media, with main opposition CHP lawmaker Sezgin Tanrikulu saying on Twitter that Turkey's long-established universities were being destroyed.” Reuters: Erdogan, Trump Agree To Act Jointly Against Islamic State In Syria: Turkish Sources “Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and U.S. President Donald Trump agreed in a phone call overnight to act jointly against Islamic State in the Syrian towns of al-Bab and Raqqa, both controlled by the militants, Turkish presidency sources said on Wednesday. The two leaders discussed issues including a safe zone in Syria, the refugee crisis and the fight against terror, the sources said. They also said Erdogan had urged the United States not to support the Syrian Kurdish YPG militia. Trump spoke about the two countries' ‘shared commitment to combating terrorism in all its forms’ and welcomed Turkey's contributions to the fight against Islamic State, the White House said in a statement, but it gave no further details.” Afghanistan Associated Press: Afghanistan Requests Us Air Support For Combat Operations “Afghanistan's national security adviser is appealing to the U.S. to provide aircraft to back ground operations in the country until Afghan security forces can do the job alone. Mohammed Hanif Atmar told reporters in Brussels on Tuesday that ‘we will need a kind of filling-the-gap measure from the United States.’ Atmar said ‘it will take us time’ to develop close air support capabilities but didn't indicate how long. He said Afghanistan doesn't need more troops. He also welcomed U.S. reassurances that the new administration remains committed to the Afghan cause, saying that Kabul and Washington should work together ‘to neutralize common threats’ like terrorism” Voice Of America: Russia To Host Wider Regional Conference On Afghanistan “Russia will host a regional conference on Afghanistan later this month to discuss efforts aimed at settling the protracted Afghan conflict and containing ‘spillover effects’ of Islamic State terrorists trying to get a foothold in the war-ravaged nation. Moscow organized a tripartite meeting on the subject late December where it only invited Pakistan and China. The dialogue prompted strong reaction and protest from the Afghan government for being left out of it. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Tuesday Afghanistan now has been formally invited to another round due in mid-February where senior officials from China, Iran, India and Pakistan also will be in attendance.” Yemen Fox News: Yemen Reportedly Withdraws Permission To Allow US Ground Missions “Yemen has withdrawn permission for U.S. forces to conduct antiterror ground missions in the country after a deadly commando raid last month that reportedly resulted in civilian casualties. The New York Times, citing unnamed American officials, reported Tuesday that neither the White House nor the Yemenis have publically announced the suspension.  The report said  it is unclear if  the Yemenis  were influenced at all by President Trump’s travel ban order  that included Yemen on the list of banned countries. U.S. Central Command said earlier this month that civilians may have been hit by gunfire from aircraft called in to assist U.S. troops, who were engaged in a ferocious firefight on Jan. 29 with militants from Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.” Haaretz: Israel's Aggressive Tone Could Spark An Unwanted War In Gaza “Incidents along the Gaza border on Monday were apparently sparked by friction between the Strip’s Hamas government and Salafi extremist groups. Israel’s response was unusually harsh – a series of strikes that was followed by silence. But two members of the security cabinet hinted on Tuesday at the possibility of a more serious escalation within a few months. There were two incidents on Monday. In the morning, a rocket fired from Gaza landed south of Ashkelon, and the sound of gunfire was reported near Kibbutz Kissufim near the central-Gaza border. Shortly after the rocket fell, a Salafi group issued a statement accusing Hamas of arresting and torturing its activists, and of ‘behaving like the Jews.’” The Times Of Israel: White House Leaves Out Attacks In Israel On List Of 78 ‘Underreported’ Terrorist Acts “No attacks in Israel were included on a list of 78 ‘underreported’ terrorist attacks released by the White House. The list, which includes attacks around the world from September 2014 to December 2016, was released Monday after President Donald Trump spoke of the dangers of ‘radical Islamic terrorists’ and said the media often did not want to report on terror attacks. White House spokesman Sean Spicer later clarified that the president believes terrorist attacks are ‘underreported’ — not ‘unreported’ — by the media.” The Times Of Israel: Hamas Promises Israelis Swift Demise — In Rhyme “Hamas on Tuesday released an animated Hebrew-language music video threatening Israel with death and destruction, a day after a flare-up of violence in the Gaza Strip that saw Israeli air and tank strikes in response to a rocket attack from the Strip. In the video, titled ‘Zionist, You Will Die in Gaza,’ the terror group threatens to hit Israelis with rockets ‘where they live’ and promises death for those who ‘do not leave our land immediately.’ The colorful lyrics — written in rhyme — include a vow that Israelis will ‘drink from the cup of death, its taste bitter.’ It warns IDF soldiers that any who enter Gaza territory will die — or at best face capture and imprisonment. ‘I will eat you without salt,’ another line promises. ‘You will beg for your life.’” Libya Politico: EU Raises Pressure For Unified Government In Libya “The Italian government on Tuesday voiced renewed support for General Khalifa Haftar, a Libyan strongman who controls the eastern part of his country and enjoys close ties with Russia, reiterating calls for him to assume a role in Libya’s government in Tripoli. ‘We have been the first ones to say that Haftar should have a role,’ said Italian Foreign Minister Angelino Alfano during a session of the defense-foreign affairs committee in the lower chamber of Italy’s parliament. Alfano also said that the Italian ambassador in Libya, Giuseppe Perrone, on Monday had ‘useful’ talks in Tobruk, in eastern Libya.” Nigeria Reuters: In Nigeria, Aid Agencies Seek To Kindle Hope For Life After Boko Haram “Almost two years after Boko Haram militants attacked his hometown in northeast Nigeria, killed his neighbors and forced his family to flee to safety, Ibrahim Usman faces a dilemma. Either he, his wife and five children stay in their makeshift shelter in Maiduguri, the capital of Borno state, and risk starvation, or they return home to a town reduced to rubble, and the threat of further violence from the jihadists. ‘The situation for the displaced here is so desperate that some people will go back even if their village is not safe, even if there is a risk of being killed,’ he said, walking through a maze of flimsy huts packed together on a small plot of land.” The Guardian: Meet Aisha, A Former Antelope Hunter Who Now Tracks Boko Haram “As seven abducted women and four children were being taken deeper into Sambisa forest, Aisha Bakari Gombi received a call. The voice was familiar: an army commander asking her to assemble a group of hunters to track them down. The seven had vanished earlier that day after a group of Boko Haram militants attacked their village, Daggu. Three local people were shot dead and cars, houses and food stores set ablaze. Daggu is a half-hour drive from Chibok where more than 200 schoolgirls were abducted in April 2014. Both villages are in the region of Borno state in north-eastern Nigeria, which has become all too familiar with such attacks by the world’s deadliest terrorist group.” Reuters: Number Of Foreign Visitors To France Rose In Final Quarter Of 2016 -INSEE “Feb 7 The number of foreign tourists visiting France rose in the fourth quarter of 2016, official data showed on Tuesday, confirming a gradual rebound in a sector that has been hit by a wave of Islamist militant attacks. The number of nightly stays in France by foreign tourists rose 2.9 percent in the three months to end-December compared to the same period a year ago, as the traditional Christmas and year-end festivities gave a boost to the industry. Nightly stays in Paris hotels were up 4.5 percent in the fourth quarter, with 3.3 percent more foreign tourists than a year ago, added the INSEE statistics office.” Deutsche Welle: Suspect In Louvre Attack Breaks His Silence “The suspect in the attack on guards of the Louvre Museum in Paris has started talking to investigators and confirmed his suspected identity, sources told several news agencies on Tuesday. The man confirmed that he is in fact the 29-year old Egyptian police assumed he was. Though the man is now cooperating with officials, it is not yet known why the suspect carried out the attack, or whether he acted by himself or followed orders. The man allegedly attacked four soldiers who where guarding the Louvre art museum in Paris last Friday with two machetes while shouting ‘Allahu akbar’ (‘God is the greatest’ in Arabic). The suspect was severely injured when a guard fired at him in self-defense, according to the French Interior Ministry, while one soldier sustained slight injuries.” Europe Daily Mail: Most Europeans Want To STOP Migration From Muslim Countries, Study Finds, As Controversy Rages Over Donald Trump's US Travel Ban 'Sobering' new figures reveal that more than half of Europeans favour banning immigration from predominately Muslim countries. A survey carried out by London-based think-tank The Royal Institute of International Affairs found that 55 per cent of Europeans across 10 countries  think further immigration from mostly-Muslim countries should stop.  The research by the institute, based at Chatham House, was carried out before Donald Trump introduced his controversial immigration ban in the US. Trump signed an executive order immediately banning migrants arriving from seven nations - Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen - for 90 days.” Australia BBC: Teenagers Accused Of Planning Terror Attack In Australia “A married teenage couple have been charged with planning to carry out a terror attack in Sydney. Sameh Bayda and Alo-Bridget Namoa, both 19, are accused of ‘conspiracy to do an act, or acts in preparation for, or planning, a terrorist act or acts’. The charge carries a maximum penalty of life in prison, the Australian Federal Police said. The pair were already in custody after being arrested in early 2016 on lesser charges, a court heard on Wednesday. Previous court documents alleged Mr Bayda had collected instructions about how to make an improvised explosive device and commit a stabbing attack. Ms Namoa was accused of recklessly possessing a hunting knife and instructions relating to a homemade bomb.” ISIS New Sabah: Mosul: ISIS Harvests Human Organs “A local source in Nineveh province claimed that ISIS has harvested human organs from 45 patients lying in hospitals located on the right side of the city of Mosul. The source claimed that among the 45 were wounded members of the terror organization. The organ-theft came amid ISIS's diminishing funding sources. The local source, in a press statement, was quoted as saying: "Some patients who entered hospitals on the right side of the city of Mosul to undergo surgical operations were stunned when they came out of surgery missing a kidney.” Muslim Brotherhood Albawabh News: Muslim Brotherhood Youth Accuse Leader Mahmoud Ezzat Of Stealing 200 Million Egyptian Pounds “Mohammed Kamal Front", a group of fugitive Muslim Brotherhood leaders, has declared war on Mahmoud Ezzat, a prominent leader of the group. They accuse him of cheating them and exploiting youth members in the group's qualitative operations cells. Specifically, Mohammed Kamal's supporters claim that Ezzat seized the group's funds by withdrawing them from banks and spent them on the purchase of villas and residential units in European capitals, especially Britain. Note that some associations ceased their funding for the Brotherhood following the news surrounding the internal conflicts between supporters of Kamal and Ezzat. A source close to the Brotherhood in exclusive statements said: "The group had been receiving foreign funding since the June 30th 2013 Revolution, up until the middle of December last year. These funds are estimated at 200 million pounds ($10.8 million). They were supposed to finance {terrorist} operations in Sinai and other provinces, and to target political and security figures.” Albawabh News: Muslim Brotherhood In Egypt Complains At International Parliaments Of Seizure Of Funds “Sources within the Muslim Brotherhood disclosed that Hany Sorial, an Australian expatriated Egyptian who supports the Brotherhood, has sent letters to the Australian, UK and European parliaments, complaining against Egypt. The name of Sorial, a former member of what is known as the Turkey-based "Egyptian Revolutionary Council", appears on Egypt's terror list, along with another 1500 Brotherhood leaders. The funds of all those listed have been impounded by Egyptian authorities. The sources revealed that Sorial has begun collecting signatures of all 1,500 figures on the list. This is in order to send a collective letter asking the three aforementioned parliaments to put pressure on Egypt to stop the freezing of funds and to delete names from the terror list.” Masrmix: Decision To Summon Egypt's Ex-Soccer Player Abu Treika For Interrogation In Muslim Brotherhood Financing Case “A decision was issued to summon Mohammed Abu Treika, the ex-soccer player of the Egyptian national team and Al Ahly Club, for interrogation in cases related to the financing of the Muslim Brotherhood. The decision was issued by Chancellor Khalid Ziauddin, the Attorney General, who explained the need to hear the ex-player's version regarding allegations implicating him in the Brotherhood's financing.” Hezbollah Aletihad Press: Hezbollah Launches Fundraising Campaign Via Whatsapp “Under the banner of "Readying a Mujahid", and on the heels of financial scandals suffered by the {Shiite} militia, sources close to Hezbollah claim that it has launched a campaign to collect donations through WhatsApp. The goal of this move is to compensate for the financial losses caused by Hezbollah's involvement in the war on the side of the Syrian regime. The Lebanese Janoubia website quoted private sources as saying: "It seems that Hezbollah's funding sources have dried up and the resources are no longer flowing as in the past. In addition, the Iranian 'comfort period' is over, due to Tehran's involvement in regional and international conflicts as well as sanctions restricting its economy, especially the oil sector." The source noted that Hezbollah, despite admitting publicly that Iran provides all needed support, suffered huge losses, especially in Syria. This has led to a financial crisis and forced it to seek new sources of funding.”