CLARION PROJECT 04/15/2021

 

The Extremism Roundup Promoting Civil Discourse and Marginalizing the Extremes A weekly compilation of the most important developments in the struggle against radical ideologies

Islamist & Anti-Muslim Extremism  Spencer Platt/Getty Images INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING Three ISIS Members Arrested in America The Justice Department has announced that a man in Knoxville, Tenn. has been arrested for leading efforts to translate and distribute ISIS propaganda in English.  In New Jersey, a man from the Bronx, N.Y. and a woman from Hoover, Ala. were arrested at a seaport as they hoped to board a cargo ship and join ISIS in the Middle East. The couple also discussed possibly carrying out attacks within the U.S., specifically mentioning the Military Academy at West Point as a preferred target. The man explained to an undercover operative that his support for ISIS was rooted in his ideological belief that Muslims need a caliphate. DOJ Current ISIS Leader was Prison Informant for U.S. Fifty-three declassified interrogation reports reveal that the current leader of ISIS, Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurashi, was imprisoned by U.S. forces in late 2007 or early 2008 and became a reliable informant, helping U.S. forces to discover Al-Qaeda in Iraq’s secret media headquarters and the location of the group’s second-in-command. He was particularly willing to help U.S. forces target non-Iraqis in his terrorist group. Al-Qurashi is an Iraqi whose real name is Amir Muhammad Sa’id Abd-al-Rahman al-Mawla.  One 2008 report stated, “Detainee seems to become more cooperative with every session.” INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING Anti-Islamism Muslim Group Shuts Down, Blames Covid The Quilliam Foundation, a U.K.-based Muslim organization that was considered one of the leading voices against the Islamist ideology, is closing down. Its leader, Majid Nawaz, announced the news on Twitter, saying it could not “endure the hardship” caused by Covid-19. The Qatar-linked Middle East Eye celebrated the news, as did the Iranian regime’s PressTV and 5Pillars, whose chief editor previously worked for Al-Jazeera, PressTV and the extremist Islam Channel.   INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING Muslim Reformers Launch New Effort Against Anti-Semitism Muslim reformers who oppose the Islamist ideology have launched a new group called the Council of Muslims Against Anti-Semitism. The group’s Steering Committee and Advisory Board includes Raheel Raza and Dr. Zuhdi Jasser, two Muslim activists who are also on the Clarion Project’s Advisory Board.  Jasser and Raza are also founding members of the Muslim Reform Movement, an umbrella organization that opposes the concept of an Islamic state and promotes separation of mosque and state. Alt-Right & Alt-Left Extremism Paula Bronstein/Getty Images MULTNOMAH COUNTY Antifa Group Defends Man Indicted for Trying to Kill Police A man in Indianapolis has been indicted for attending two riots in Portland, Ore. in September 2020 and trying to kill police officers with Molotov cocktails.   The Youth Liberation Front’s Portland chapter is publicly defending the man and brainstorming how to assist him. The group openly identifies with Antifa. Deleted social media posts by the man and his girlfriend indicate sympathy for anti-American ideologies like communism.  PORTLAND POLICE DEPARTMENT Anti-Police Bigots Attack Police Union HQ in Portland Approximately 40 attackers lit a fire outside the headquarters of the police union and defaced property by writing “Nazis work here” and “ACAB,” an acronym that means “All Cops Are Bastards.” The Portland Police Department says an “unprecedented” number of officers have quit in the middle of their careers over the past year, with 31 of 115 departed officers citing low morale as the reason for their decision. One detective said he was leaving because there is “zero support” from the local community.  INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING Latest Alt-Right Prosecutions A leader of the Atomwaffen neo-Nazi terrorist group in Washington pled guilty for charges related to the group’s delivering of explicit death threats to reporters and anti-Semitic extremism, with a particular emphasis on targeting Jews and persons of color. Two co-conspirators have also pled guilty and a third is awaiting trial. The FBI has arrested a man in Texas for planning to blow up an Amazon data center in Virginia in retaliation for the company’s suspension of services for Parler, a social media website accused of being a hub for Alt-Right extremists. The man posted on MyMilitia.com about his plans and stated he was at the Capitol during the January 6 attack, but did not enter and was disappointed that the rioters were not more aggressive. His plan was thwarted when a tipster alerted the FBI to his post. Federal prosecutors appear to be building a case against the leader of Oathkeepers, Stewart Rhodes, noting his participation in encrypted chats preparing for violence and phone calls to participants in the January 6 attack on the Capitol. Over a dozen Oathkeepers have been charged for their involvement.  INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING Rep. Urges More Terror Designations for Dozen Foreign White Supremacist Groups Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), a former CIA officer, has asked the State Department to designate 13 overseas white supremacist groups as Foreign Terrorist Organizations, including the Azov Battalion in Ukraine, the Nordic Resistance Movement, Rise Above Movement, Combat 18, and Atomwaffen Division Deutschland.  Rep. Slotkin’s letter acknowledges that the Trump Administration was the first to designate an overseas white supremacist group as a Foreign Terrorist Organization when it struck the Russian Imperialist Movement with the label. Clarion Intelligence Network has repeatedly reported to law enforcement about ties between U.S.-based extremists and the foreign groups named by Rep. Slotkin.  Hostile Foreign Influence Operations VOISHMEL/AFP via Getty Images INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING New York Times Journalist Caught Trying to Hide Ties to Chinese Communist Regime The New York Times’ Director of Cinematography and Pulitzer Prize-winning visual journalist, Jonah Kessel, reportedly cleansed his social media page after his previous work for the Chinese Communist regime received negative attention. Kessel’s tweets openly talked about his employment with the regime in 2009-2010. One deleted tweet stated, “I get paid by the Chinese Government these days.” According to the expose, Kessel was the creative director of China Daily, a state-run media outlet, and also did freelance work for Communist China’s Ministry of Information, a government body focused on propaganda. INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING Think-Tank Calls for Closing Loopholes Used by Adversaries for Influence The Alliance for Securing Democracy is pushing for 10 measures with bipartisan support to be implemented that will make it more difficult for authoritarian regimes and adversaries of the U.S. to run political influence operations. The organization published a study in August showing that Russia, China, Iran and other undemocratic regimes have spent at least $300 million over the past decade on efforts to influence democratic processes in 33 countries. Only 17 percent of the expenditures broke laws, with the rest being used to exploit loopholes involving straw donors, in-kind gifts to campaigns, shell companies, non-profits, online ads and online media outlets. Other Ideological Extremism Spencer Platt/Getty Images INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING Identity of “Q” Allegedly Exposed; Profited from Child Porn The “QAnon” conspiracy theory holds that anti-Trump elites belong to a secret cabal of Satan-worshipping, cannibalistic pedophiles working to end the U.S. as a constitutional republic, and an anonymous online poster known as “Q” is revealing Trump’s secret strategy to defeat the cabal. Adherents have been linked to a series of violent and criminal acts, including the involvement of at least 34 QAnon adherents in the January 6 attack on the Capitol. A new documentary series, Q: Into the Storm, concludes that “Q” is a hoax perpetrated by a father and son duo, Jim and Ron Watkins, who owned the websites where “Q” appeared. They allegedly profited from web traffic and selling “Q” merchandise. The evidence includes slip-ups by the duo, including what appears to be an accidental admission of involvement by Ron Watkins. Jim Watkins generated his wealth by creating pornographic websites. The Watkins’ also hosted scores of domains with terminology related to child pornography. The film is being criticized for appearing to exonerate the Watkins’ of allegations that his domains were used to publish illegal material. QUOTABLE "[T]he greatest good we can do our country is to heal its party divisions & make them one people. I do not speak of their leaders who are incurables, but of the honest & well-intentioned body of the people." --Thomas Jefferson, letter to John Dickinson, July 23, 1801 NOTE TO OUR READERS: We have pulled out the salient points of the articles in this newsletter to keep you informed and focused on the most relevant, important and timely news in national security and extremism. While our national security experts stand behind the summary bullets and deem them trustworthy, Clarion Project does not endorse all the views expressed in the articles linked.

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