Terror

2022 - 7 - 3

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Image courtesy of "Lawfare"

Why Is It So Difficult to Get Off a Terrorist List? (Lawfare)

The Washington Institute's Aaron Zelin explores the challenges related to taking HTS off the State Department's list of foreign terrorist organizations, ...

HTS is unlikely to be delisted any time soon, but Jawlani’s unusual request raises serious questions about what exactly the policy process for delisting terror groups is and suggests that clearer standards may be in order. There are a number of jihadi groups that remain on the list but are for all intents and purposes defunct—because they either stopped operating or merged into another group like the Islamic State. For example, the Abu Sayyaf Group in the Philippines has not claimed an attack in three years, the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan in seven years, Indonesia’s Jemaah Islamiya in at least five years, the Uzbek Islamic Jihad Union in 13 years, Ansar al-Din in Mali in five years, Ansar al-Sharia in Libya in six years, and Ansar al-Sharia in Tunisia in eight years. As a consequence, the issue is moot in some ways, due to factors that have more to do with the strategic, political, and institutional calculations of the U.S. government than with the actions of the group itself. If the group earnestly opened up its political system beyond an elite coterie of men and disavowed the terrorism of Hamas or attacks related to alleged cases of blasphemy in the West, it could potentially provide a real starting point for Washington to take Jawlani’s requests seriously. HTS originated as Jabhat al-Nusrah and sought to be another cog in the global jihadi movement—though one that learned the lessons of the failures of the Iraq jihad a decade prior. The most egregious case of institutional dysfunction related to terrorism designations is that of Nelson Mandela, who remained designated until 2008, even though he had disavowed terrorism more than two decades before and had been the leader of South Africa following the fall of the apartheid regime. These hypotheticals extrapolate from a lot of what-ifs, but good policy planning isn’t based on best-case scenarios and needs to account for the worst political risks and backlash. The United States is legally bound to follow the U.N. list. There seems to be no clear criteria or metrics for delisting, and no standard for how long after a group ceases its activity that the government will revisit its designation. Though decisions about terrorism designations are based on facts, taking a group off a list can be controversial and perceived as a political decision, especially if a group remains active. It is true that HTS has changed quite a bit since the organization was founded in January 2012; notably, it broke away from the Islamic State in April 2013 and al-Qaeda in July 2016. In an interview with Martin Smith, of PBS’s Frontline, in February 2021, HTS leader Abu Muhammad al-Jawlani objected to the organization’s designation, calling it “an unfair categorization.” He continued:

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Image courtesy of "Daily Trust"

Shifting dynamics of Boko Haramesque terror (Daily Trust)

The killing of 22 soldiers and seven policemen in separate ambush attacks by yet-to-be-identified terrorist groups in Niger and Taraba States last week.

And third, all hands must be on deck, and all options on the table, for working towards a permanent solution to Boko Haram insurgency in whatever form. The first step will be to determine and accept whether what was considered victory against the Boko Haram insurgency in the northeast is in fact no more than a geographic shift to it. The authorities must pay attention to the emerging trends and the threats they represent at a crucial moment when new shoots of terrorism in the wider sense are springing up in the South-East and other parts of the country. But the group merely mutated into a number of spin-offs, among them the original Boko Haram itself then still led by Abubakar Shekau, the Islamic State’s West Africa Province (ISWAP) with links to ISIS and Ansaru, officially, Jamaat Ansar al Muslimeen fi Bilad al Sudan (The Vanguard for the Protection of Muslims in Black Africa), with links to Al-Qaeda and perhaps Boko Haram’s first breakaway group. Indeed, as Kaduna State Governor, Malam Nasir El-Rufai declared on May 19, 2022, Birnin-Gwari and Giwa Local Government Areas of the state are now effectively the headquarters of Ansaru. And only last week, Ansaru threatened to disrupt communities in these areas from participating in the 2023 elections. Most analysts regard this as the second major phase in the conflict when the federal government, in a rather premature chest-thumping that since come home to bite, declared that Boko Haram had been “technically” defeated.

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Image courtesy of "Notes From Poland"

Far-right radical who planned terror attack on Muslims in Warsaw ... (Notes From Poland)

A far-right extremist who plotted a terrorist attack against Muslims and politicians in Warsaw has been given a three-year jail term.

The ruling is not yet binding and can be appealed. He had been part of a group that sought to prevent the “Islamisation” of Poland and which was inspired by the terrorist mass killings of Anders Breivik in Norway and Brenton Tarrant in New Zealand. “The findings of the investigation show that his attitude was radicalised over time,” continued the statement, which noted that Tomasz M. was found to have transmitted content that expressed the intention to commit and incited the committing of crimes against Muslims, including terrorist acts.

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Image courtesy of "BBC News"

Copenhagen shooting: Danish police cannot rule out terror in mall ... (BBC News)

A 22-year-old Danish man is arrested after the shooting at the Fields mall in the capital.

You can also get in touch in the following ways: Shortly after the shooting, the Danish royal family announced that a reception due to be hosted by Crown Prince Frederik been cancelled. Field's is said to be the largest shopping centre in Denmark, with over 140 shops and restaurants. Love H." I am shocked. Speaking at a news conference on Sunday evening, Mr Thomassen said it was too early to say how many people had been harmed in the attack.

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Image courtesy of "CNN"

4th of July parade shooting witnesses describe terror at the scene ... (CNN)

Zoe Pawelczak's dad thought the repetitive pops ringing out at Highland Park's Fourth of July parade Monday morning were part of the show, she says.

It was hundreds of people just in that area -- just all running in the same direction," he said. And after I got to a safe space and I was able to get a few seconds of breath, I really just thought, 'Yup, see, it finally happened here, this is ours.' It's disappointing, but I'm surprised it took this long, which sounds awful," Bloom said. The shots felt like they were coming from across the street and aimed at the area of the crowd he was in, Bloom said, though it was hard to establish where the gunman was. "It was absolutely the most terrifying thing that's ever happened to me." "Then everybody just got up, turned and ran and tried to get behind something." Just a rain of gunshots, just so quickly, for quite a while, at least it seemed," Bloom said. It was just chaotic." And I threw my body on top of theirs," he said. "It looked like a battle zone," she said. Warren Fried, who attended the parade with his wife and 7-year-old twins, said he watched police and an ambulance pass by him at the parade and afterward heard an array of gunshots. "I realized ... it's just your random luck that I wasn't shot." "One man had been shot in the head -- like, his ear.

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Image courtesy of "New York Post"

Highland Park parade shooting terror in photos (New York Post)

A Fourth of July parade in the wealthy Chicago suburb of Highland Park turned into a deadly “battle zone” after a mass shooter opened fire on innocent ...

TANNEN MAURY/EPA-EFE/ShutterstocFacebookTwitterFlipboard12 of 13Hundreds of locals fled as the gunfire started ringing out just after 10 a.m.AP/ Lynn SweetFacebookTwitterFlipboard13 of 13Law enforcement search the area after a mass shooting.AP/Nam Y. HuhFacebookTwitterFlipboardUp NextMoments from the Tour de France We've received your submission.Back to ReadingJuly 4, 2022 5:12pmUpdatedJuly 4, 2022 5:12pm1 of 13A Lake County police officer mourns after a shooter fired on the northern suburb's Fourth of July parade.AP/Brian CassellaFacebookTwitterFlipboard2 of 13At least six people are dead and at least 24 injured in a mass shooting at the parade in the wealthy Chicago.AP/Nam Y. HuhFacebookTwitterFlipboard3 of 13Law enforcement take photos of the Highland Park massacre.TANNEN MAURY/EPA-EFE/ShutterstockFacebookTwitterFlipboard4 of 13Blood pooled at Port Clinton Square in Highland Park after the parade.AP/Lynn SweetFacebookTwitterFlipboard5 of 13An officer runs to investigate the chaotic crime scene.ReutersFacebookTwitterFlipboard6 of 13People check their belongings after a mass shooting at the Highland Park Fourth of July parade.AP/Nam Y. HuhFacebookTwitterFlipboard7 of 13Families with children of all ages attended the Fourth of July parade.TANNEN MAURY/EPA-EFE/ShutterstockFacebookTwitterFlipboard8 of 13Police said they haven't found any evidence of threats that the shooter potentially made on social media.ReutersFacebookTwitterFlipboard9 of 13Empty chairs are seen on the street after the mass shooting terror.AP/Nam Y. HuhFacebookTwitterFlipboard10 of 13Police on the scene after gunfire erupted at a Fourth of July parade route.ReutersFacebookTwitterFlipboard11 of 13Police warned the shooter is still "armed and dangerous."

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Image courtesy of "Daily Sabah"

19 Daesh terror suspects nabbed in Istanbul (Daily Sabah)

At least 19 suspects linked to the Daesh terrorist group were arrested in Istanbul, Turkish security sources said on Monday. The arrests were made in...

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Image courtesy of "Kansas City Star"

Denmark: Gunman acted alone, likely not terror-related (Kansas City Star)

Danish police say that the gunman who opened fire in a shopping mall in Copenhagen most likely acted alone and selected his victims at random.

Chassandra Stoltz, an 18-year-old student who was on her way to a Harry Styles concert that was scheduled for Sunday night nearby, described a stampede as the shots rang out. “He seemed very violent and angry,” eyewitness Mahdi Al-Wazni told TV2. “He spoke to me and said it (the rifle) isn’t real as I was filming him. He has identified the man as an “ethnic Dane,” a phrase typically used to mean someone is white. In all, around two dozen people were hurt, most in the panicked stampede after the shots rang out at the Field's shopping center, on the outskirts of the Danish capital. That's a step short of formal charges but allow authorities to keep a person in custody during an investigation. Police have said the man was known to mental health service without elaborating.

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Image courtesy of "The Independent"

Left-wing terror suspect killed himself in prison while awaiting ... (The Independent)

Dominic Noble, 32, died a month after being referred to a psychiatrist at HMP Leeds.

“He displayed previous suicidal ideation and had a history of cannabis use for self-medication,” said a narrative conclusion. “He was previously diagnosed with an unspecified personality disorder. Start your Independent Premium subscription today. The coroner called for the Practice Plus group to review the availability of psychiatrists at HMP Leeds and “determine whether it is sufficient to meet the needs of a cohort of mentally unwell prisoners”. A hearing at Leeds Magistrates’ Court heard that Mr Noble had made comments to police claiming he had the knowledge to make explosives, demonstrated a “left-wing anarchist ideology” and had researched bomb-making and attacks. A coroner said that Mr Noble was the second inmate to die by suicide while waiting to see a psychiatrist at the jail within a year, and there was a risk of future deaths unless mental health provision is reviewed.

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Image courtesy of "KTTC"

Motive likely not terror-related in 'brutal' Danish shooting (KTTC)

Danish police say several people have been shot at a Copenhagen shopping mall. Copenhagen police said that one person has been arrested in connection with ...

Chassandra Stoltz, an 18-year-old student who was on her way to a Harry Styles concert that was scheduled for Sunday night nearby, described a stampede as the shots rang out. “He seemed very violent and angry,” eyewitness Mahdi Al-Wazni told TV2. “He spoke to me and said it (the rifle) isn’t real as I was filming him. In all, around two dozen people were hurt, most in the panicked stampede after the shots rang out at the Field’s shopping center, on the outskirts of the Danish capital. That’s a step short of formal charges but allow authorities to keep a person in custody during an investigation. Police have said the man was known to mental health service without elaborating. He said the firearms were obtained illegally but gave no further details.

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Image courtesy of "NewsNation Now"

Man with teen boys describes terror at 4th of July shooting (NewsNation Now)

Following the deadly mass shooting in Highland Park, Illinois that left at least six dead and multiple others injured, a man who was attending the event ...

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Image courtesy of "Fox News"

Denmark mall shooting: Suspect acted alone and incident was not ... (Fox News)

The shooting incident at a shopping mall in Copenhagen, Denmark, where three people were killed and several others were injured, is not believed to be an ...

The concert was subsequently canceled in light of the shooting, Deadline reported. I’m devastated for the victims, their families, and everyone hurting," Styles said on Twitter Sunday evening. The shooting took place at approximately 5:37 p.m. and the suspect was arrested 11 minutes later, police said. "I’m heartbroken along with the people of Copenhagen. I adore this city. Heartbreaking. Pointless," Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said after the tragic incident. Copenhagen chief police inspector Søren Thomassen said the deceased victims included one Russian and two Danish citizens.

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