Friday, December 24, 2021

CLARION PROJECT

 

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 

Scott J. Ferrell/Congressional Quarterly/Getty Images
 
CAIR Infiltration Uncovered - Chapter Director Fired
  • The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), identified by the Justice Department as an “entity” of the U.S. Muslim Brotherhood, fired the Ohio chapter’s executive and legal director, Romin Iqbal.
  • A forensic investigation conducted by an independent, third-party expert found conclusive evidence that Iqbal spied on behalf of the Investigative Project on Terrorism (IPT).
  • IPT has been called the world’s most comprehensive data center on radical Islamic terrorist groups, and their research has been widely cited by government offices and law enforcement agencies. 
  • Iqbal's work was uncovered after CAIR's national office received information about the inner workings of the IPT.
Former California Resident Pleads Guilty to Funding ISIS Activities 
  • Abdullahi Ahmed Abdullahi, a Canadian national and former resident of San Diego, admitted in federal court that he conspired with others to provide material support to ISIS.
  • According to his plea agreement, Abdullahi admitted that he provided money to his four cousins, including an 18-year-old Minneapolis resident, as well as former San Diego resident Douglas McAuthur McCain, to support their terrorist activities in Syria.
  • Douglas McCain is the first known American to die fighting for ISIS.
  • Abdullahi’s plea agreement sets his prison sentence at 20 years.

Alt-Right & Alt-Left Extremism

Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images
DC Files Suit Against the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers 
  • The city of Washington, D.C. has filed suit against the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers, seeking to collect on the financial costs of the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
  • The lawsuit seeks to recover the costs of deploying roughly 1,100 city police officers to bolster other police forces, as well as medical and paid-leave costs incurred afterward for the more than 65 officers injured during the assault.
  • The suit also brings civil assault and battery charges against the two organizations, along with 30 named and 50 unnamed people it alleges were involved in the riot.
Three Additional Proud Boys Charged in Capitol Riot
  • Isaiah Giddings of Philadelphia, Brian Healion of Upper Darby and Freedom Vy of Philadelphia were arrested and have been charged in federal court in Washington, D.C.
  • The individuals were charged with unlawful entry on restricted buildings or grounds, and violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds.
  • According to court filings, publicly available images and video depict the men entering the Capitol building.
Portland Antifa Member Indicted on Charges in Connection With Riot
  • Alissa Eleanor Azar, 30, was indicted by Clackamas County, Ore. in connection to a fight she was involved in during a June riot in Portland.
  • Azar was seen on video assaulting a woman with pepper spray after fighting broke out. Azar was charged with felony riot, two misdemeanor charges of disorderly conduct and unlawful use of pepper spray. 
  • Previously arrested and charged in connection to riots, Azar is described as a regular at Antifa riots.

Hostile Foreign Influence Operations

Gavriil Grigorov\TASS via Getty Images
 
Defense Contractor Arrested for Attempted Espionage
  • John Murray Rowe Jr., 63, of Lead, South Dakota, was arrested on criminal charges related to his attempt to provide classified national defense information to the Russian government.
  • Rowe held various national security clearances from SECRET to TOP SECRET/SCI (Sensitive Compartmented Information) and worked on matters relating to the U.S. Air Force’s aerospace technology.
  • In March 2020, Rowe met with an undercover FBI employee posing as an agent of the Russian government and over eight months exchanged hundreds of emails with the agent, confirming his willingness to work for the Russian government.
  • Rowe faces a maximum statutory penalty of life in prison. 
QUOTABLE

“Democracy cannot succeed unless those who express their choice are prepared to choose wisely. The real safeguard of democracy, therefore, is education…to prepare each citizen to choose wisely and to enable him to choose freely are paramount functions of the schools in a democracy..”

--Franklin D. Roosevelt

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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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