Terrorism – Page 9 – Law Enforcement, Military, and Terrorism News

Pro-ISIS Media Outlet Publishes Magazine To Incite Violence In India

On February 24, 2020, pro-ISIS media outlet Al-Qitaal Media Center published a new online magazine titled “Voice of Hind” featuring Mahmood Paracha, a lawyer accused of inciting hatred and violence in India.

Terror Group Seeks To Further Inflame Tensions Between Muslim & Hindu Populations

The magazine also states that there is no place for nationalism in Islam, and that India’s Muslims should join the caliphate instead. The publication represents ISIS’s latest effort to gain a foothold in India.

Voice of Hind emerged in the midst of large scale sectarian violence fueled by the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), which critics believe discriminates against India’s Muslims. The CAA and the National Register of Citizens (NRC) now include religion as a criterion for nationality, representing a move away from India’s founding principle of secularism.

The new legislation provides a path for citizenship for practicing Hindus and five other South Asian religions—Buddhism, Christianity, Sikhism, Jainism, and Zoroastrianism—but does not include Islam.

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Since Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s reelection in May, his administration has largely endorsed a Hindu identity for the country and has demonstrated hostility towards secularism and Islam. The magazine, which seeks to exploit tensions, calls for Indian Muslims to join ISIS and praises individuals who have already done so or have committed attacks in the group’s name.

Though India banned ISIS in 2014, the Modi government has expressed concern about the group’s ability to attract members through online propaganda. The terrorist group has not made major headway in the country.

However, Indian security agencies have arrested more than 127 individuals with suspected links to ISIS.

Counterextremism.com (March, 2020) Pro-ISIS Media Outlet Publishes Magazine To Incite Violence In India

DOJ OIG Releases Report on the FBI’s Efforts to Identify Homegrown Violent Extremists Through Counter-terrorism Assessments

Department of Justice (DOJ) Inspector General Michael E. Horowitz announced today the release of a report examining the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) efforts to identify homegrown violent extremists (HVE) through counter-terrorism assessments from October 2012 to September 2018. The FBI defines HVEs as global jihad-inspired individuals who are in the United States, have been radicalized primarily in the United States, and are not receiving individualized direction from a foreign terrorist organization.

Since September 11, 2001, HVEs have carried out over 20 attacks in the United States, some of which occurred after the FBI closed a counter-terrorism assessment or investigation on the individual.

The DOJ Office of the Inspector General (OIG) found that the FBI had not taken a comprehensive approach to resolving deficiencies in its counter-terrorism assessment process. The specific findings in today’s review include:

Weaknesses existed in the FBI’s counter-terrorism assessment process. Following attacks by individuals previously assessed or investigated by the FBI, the FBI conducted reviews to identify weaknesses and areas for improvement in the FBI’s process for assessing potential HVEs. However, the FBI did not ensure that all field offices and headquarters implemented recommended improvements and subsequent policy requirements. As a result, FBI field offices continued to conduct some counter-terrorism assessments that did not meet FBI requirements or standards.

The FBI did not adequately execute an enterprise-wide review of closed counter-terrorism assessments. In 2017, the FBI conducted an internal review of closed counter-terrorism assessments to ensure that the investigative effort and oversight of these assessments were thoroughly conducted in order to identify potential threats to national security and mitigate risks to public safety.

Through this effort, the FBI identified that 6 percent of the closed assessments it reviewed did not adequately assess the potential threat, and warranted additional investigative action. However, nearly 40 percent of these counter-terrorism assessments went unaddressed for 18 months after deficiencies were known to the FBI. As of February 2019, the FBI reported to the OIG that necessary investigative measures have now been taken on these assessments.

The FBI should identify and address inconsistencies in its reevaluation of closed assessments. We found inconsistencies in the scope of database checks that were being conducted by some field offices when reviewing closed assessments that may implicate legal, policy, and civil liberties issues associated with these reevaluations. As a result, the FBI must determine if some field offices missed opportunities to identify current and accurate information about potential HVEs, or if actions taken by other offices could have implicated the civil liberties of subjects of previously closed assessments.

The FBI must address emerging challenges to assess potential HVEs. Another challenge facing the FBI arises from the increased the number of tips and leads being sent to FBI offices. We found that the FBI has decided to integrate criminal threat matters into its system for assessing counter-terrorism threats and it is in the process of updating its protocols related to this change. However, we found the FBI has not developed an effective approach in dealing with the prevalence of assessments associated with individuals with an identified mental health issue and determining whether these individuals pose an actual threat to national security or public safety.

Today’s report makes seven recommendations to assist the FBI its efforts to identify HVEs through counter-terrorism assessments.

The FBI agreed with all seven recommendations.

Report: Today’s report can be found on the OIG’s website under “Recent Reports” at the following link: https://oig.justice.gov/reports/2020/a20030.pdf

Video: To accompany today’s report, the OIG has released a 2-minute video featuring the Inspector General discussing the report’s findings. The video and a downloadable transcript are available at the following link: https://oig.justice.gov/multimedia/video-03-04-20.htm.

In addition to this report, in June 2018 the OIG issued to the FBI a Management Advisory Memorandum detailing the OIG’s concern about inadequate actions taken by the FBI to mitigate a particular national security threat.

OIG.Justice.gov (March, 2020) DOJ OIG Releases Report on the FBI’s Efforts to Identify Homegrown Violent Extremists Through Counterterrorism Assessments

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Mother of San Bernardino Shooter Agrees to Plead Guilty to Destroying Evidence Related to Her Son’s 2015 Terrorist Attack

The mother of Syed Rizwan Farook, the male shooter in 2015 San Bernardino terrorist attack, has agreed to plead guilty to a federal criminal charge of intending to impede a federal criminal investigation by shredding a map her son generated in connection with the attack.

Rafia Sultana Shareef, a.k.a. Rafia Farook, 66, of Corona, has agreed to plead guilty to a one-count information charging her with alteration, destruction, and mutilation of records. The criminal information and related plea agreement were filed Monday in United States District Court in Riverside, and the documents became publicly available on Tuesday.

Shareef is scheduled to make her initial appearance in federal court in Riverside on March 16.

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According to her plea agreement, on December 2, 2015, Shareef was living at a Redlands residence she shared with her son and his wife, Tashfeen Malik, and her grandchild. At approximately 8 a.m. on that day, Farook and Malik left the family home and left their infant child with Shareef, falsely telling her that they were going to a medical appointment.

Instead, Farook and Malik drove a black SUV that Farook had rented a few days earlier to the Inland Regional Center (IRC) in San Bernardino. Farook entered the IRC alone, while Malik waited inside the SUV, which was parked at the IRC parking lot. Farook placed a bag containing a bomb in a conference room where his coworkers were holding an event. After some time, Farook and Malik left the IRC, then returned at approximately 10:58 a.m. dressed in black tactical gear.

Approaching the IRC on foot from the exterior, Farook and Malik opened fire using high-powered firearms on individuals outside and inside the venue, killing 14 people and wounding at least 22 others. At approximately 11:01 a.m., Farook and Malik departed the IRC and began driving around San Bernardino. A few hours later, Farook and Malik engaged in a firefight with law enforcement officers that resulted in the wounding of one policeman and their own deaths.

Sometime between 11:43 a.m. and 3:06 p.m., while Shareef was still at her home, she learned that law enforcement had identified her son as a suspect in the IRC attack, the plea agreement states. In the presence of family members that afternoon, Shareef expressed her belief that her son and daughter-in-law had perpetrated the IRC attack, according to the plea agreement.

Prior to leaving the family home with her infant grandchild at 3:41 p.m., Shareef went into her son’s bedroom, grabbed at least one document that appeared to be a map, and fed it into a shredder, according to the plea agreement. Shareef admitted that she knew her son had produced the document, and she believed it was directly related to his planning of the IRC attack.

Once she pleads guilty to the felony charge, Shareef will face a maximum statutory sentence of 20 years in federal prison, but the plea agreement contemplates a sentence of no more than 18 months.

This matter was investigated by the FBI. This case stems from the broader investigation of the San Bernardino attack by members of the Inland Empire Joint Terrorism Task Force, which includes the FBI; the San Bernardino Police Department; the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; Homeland Security Investigations; the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department; the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office; the Chino Police Department; the Redlands Police Department; the Ontario Police Department; the Corona Police Department; and the Riverside Police Department.

The case against Shareef is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Christopher D. Grigg, Chief of the Terrorism and Export Crimes Section; Melanie Sartoris of the General Crimes Section; and Julius J. Nam of the Criminal Appeals Section. Justice Department Trial Attorneys Alicia Cook and C. Alexandria Bogle of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section provided substantial support.

Justice.gov (March, 2020) Mother of San Bernardino Shooter Agrees to Plead Guilty to Destroying Evidence Related to Her Son’s 2015 Terrorist Attack

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Man Arrested for Bomb Threats Against Collins Aerospace in Wilson, NC

The United States Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, Robert J. Higdon, Jr., announces that KiDARRYL T. PHILLIPS faces federal charges for Threatened Use of a Weapon of Mass Destruction.

The United States Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, Robert J. Higdon, Jr., announces that Kidarryl T. Phillips faces federal charges for Threatened Use of a Weapon of Mass Destruction.

According to publicly filed documents in federal court, Phillips is alleged to have made six bomb threats targeting Collins Aerospace in Wilson, North Carolina. Phillips is a contract employee of Collins Aerospace and had his initial appearance today in front of United States Magistrate Judge James E. Gates.

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If convicted, Phillips would face up to a maximum term of life imprisonment, a $250,000 fine as to each count, and a term of up to five years supervised release following any term of imprisonment.

The charges and allegations contained in the criminal complaint are merely accusations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.

The Wilson Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation are conducting the investigation of this case.

Assistant United States Attorney Gabriel Diaz is prosecuting this case for the government.

Justice.gov (March, 2020) Man Arrested for Bomb Threats Against Collins Aerospace in Wilson

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Over 50 Killed in Attack on Kaduna Village, Villagers Blame Boko Haram

According to the Voice of America, Hausa, an attack on the village of Kerewa in Kaduna state took place on Sunday. During the attack, over 50 people were killed.

According to locals who spoke with VOA, “These killers are Boko Haram. They stormed our village killing indiscriminately… they spared nobody… the young, the old, even Almajiris are not spared.” This large attack shows that there is still a very large insecurity issue in Nigeria.

The locals continued by saying, “They continued to shoot people, setting fire on the dead and on property. It was extremely horrific! … They went from one room to the other, a man and his children were killed, even new born babies … We have over 50 dead now,we are yet to bury them. It will take hours to bury the dead. These killers are not just bandits … they are Boko Haram..they did not steal anything, they just killed and burnt peoples’ belongings.”

If this attack was conducted by Boko Haram, then it is clear that they have more power and ability to conduct large attacks than they have had in recent years. This would be one of the most southern attacks that they have ever conducted.

If it is not Boko Haram, then it can also not be claimed as banditry. There is some attempt to displace people from land. This attack shows that attacks are not only meant to steal supplies, but to take control of land. Please pray for those who lost family and friends in this latest violence in Nigeria.

Persecution.org (March, 2020) Over 50 Killed in Attack on Kaduna Village

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