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CBRNE-Terrorism Newsletter May 2015

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CBRNE-Terrorism Newsletter May 2015 CBRNE-Terrorism Newsletter May 2015 1 www.cbrne-terrorism-newsletter.com CBRNE-Terrorism Newsletter May 2015 Islamic State-Inspired Terrorist Incidents Highlight Growing Threat of Returning Jihadists By Amanda Vicinanzo (Senior Editor HSToday.us) Source: http://www.hstoday.us/single-article/in-depth-islamic-state-inspired-terrorist-incidents-highlight- growing-threat-of-returning-jihadists/8210f3ec440e613864939646d4cb3b0d.html An alarming increase in recent Islamic State- START stated, ―All of these general patterns by inspired terrorist plots has contributed to rising lone actors (more likely to be single, fewer concerns among counterterrorism officials planning activities, greater distances from about Americans and other Westerners residence to target, etc.) are all indicative of traveling to Iraq and Syria to obtain terrorist greater secrecy on the part of lone actors than training and then return home to carry out group participants. It is not surprising, then, attacks. that lone actors are able to avoid arrest Beginning in the early 1990s, law enforcement significantly longer than group participants.‖ authorities became increasingly concerned 2015 alone has seen a significant number of about ―lone wolf‖ terrorism, which the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL)- University of Maryland-based, Department of inspired plots by lone actor terrorists on Homeland Security (DHS) funded National American soil. So far in 2015, an Ohio man Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and traveled to Syria to obtain terrorist training and Responses to Terrorism (START) defines as returned to the US to conduct an attack, two ―persons who had no help in planning, Kansas men allegedly plotted to explode a car preparing, or committing the terrorism incident.‖ bomb at a military base, six Minnesota men The FBI, for example, concerned by were arrested for conspiring to support ISIL, homegrown jihadists, issued a report in 2006 and two New York women were accused of a outlining indicators of radicalization. bomb plot inspired by ISIL, to name just a few. The advent of the Internet significantly contributed to this concern, since cyberspace Columbus, Ohio, man charged with broke geographical boundaries, allowing the providing material support to terrorists 2 scope of the radical Islamist message to rapidly An Ohio man who traveled to Syria to receive expand. Extremist propaganda began to seep terrorist training has been arrested by federal into every corner of the globe and terrorist authorities after returning to allegedly launch groups have increasingly used the Internet— attacks against the US homeland, according to particularly social media in recent years—to the Department of Justice (DOJ). call for lone wolf attacks. A federal grand jury charged Abdirahman Although lone actor terrorists represent a very Sheik Mohamud, 23, of Columbus, Ohio, with small proportion (8 percent) of terrorists, they one count of attempting to provide and have been responsible for one-fourth of the providing material support to terrorists, one terrorism incidents in the United States, count of attempting to provide and providing according to a report obtained by Homeland material support to a designated foreign Security Today from START. terrorist organization, and one count of making Unlike group participants, lone actors are more false statements to the FBI in an indictment likely to be female and better educated than returned in the Southern District of Ohio. their group participant counterparts. Lone actor Mohamud, a naturalized citizen of the United terrorist attacks are often difficult to predict, States, left the US in April 2014 for the purpose since lone actors tend to engage in significantly of training and fighting with terrorists in Syria. fewer precursor behaviors per incident than do The indictment states that after completing this group participants. training, he was instructed by a cleric to return Lone actors also avoid arrest significantly to the US to commit an act of terrorism. longer than do group participants. On average, ―Mohamud sought and obtained terrorist group participants ―survive‖ 370 days from the training in Syria,‖ said US time they commit their first preparatory activity Attorney Stewart. ―Upon his return until the time they are arrested compared to to the United States, he lone actors who ―survive‖ in excess of 1,900 discussed carrying out acts in the days. United States.‖ www.cbrne-terrorism-newsletter.com CBRNE-Terrorism Newsletter May 2015 Although Mohamud‘s lawyer, Sam Shamansky, Grissom. ―Anyone who seeks to harm this referred to the case as ―a whole bunch of nation and its people will be brought to justice.‖ nothing,‖ Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas), chairman of the House Committee on Six Minnesota men charged with Homeland Security, says the arrest of conspiracy to provide material support to Mohamud highlights the ―grave threat‖ of ISIL returning American jihadists. According to a report released by the Anti- ―Terrorist groups like ISIL and Al Qaeda are Defamation League (ADL), Homegrown Islamic luring Americans to the combat zone in Syria Extremism in 2014: The Rise of ISIS & and Iraq, and radicalized individuals are now Sustained Online Recruitment, Minnesota was clearly returning with the training and among the states with the highest level of motivation to bring terror to our shores,‖ Islamist extremist recruits in 2014. McCaul said. Homeland Security Today previously reported McCaul continued, ―The Director of National that ISIL‘s propaganda campaign targeting Intelligence recently said around 40 US Minnesota—which has become a terrorist residents have joined extremists in Syria and pipeline to the Middle East in recent years— are already back in our country, an alarming has achieved great success in luring admission that suggests there are gaps in our Minnesotan Somali youth to overseas training defenses. The Obama administration must camps. ramp up its efforts to keep more Americans Last year, a 33-year old Minnesota man, from traveling to terrorist sanctuaries—now— Douglas McAuthur McCain, who was recruited and must do everything possible to keep these to fight for ISIL was killed in Syria, just five terrorists from returning to the United States.‖ years after his high school friend Troy Kastigar died fighting for Al Shabaab in Somalia. Kansas men charged in plot to explode car More recently, a criminal complaint was filed bomb at military base Monday charging six Minnesota men with Earlier this month, the FBI‘s Kansas City conspiracy and attempt to provide material Division announced that a Kansas man who support to ISIL. pledged loyalty to ISIL was arrested for Zacharia Yusuf Abdurahman, 19, Adnan Farah, 3 planning to detonate a vehicle bomb at the Fort 19, Hanad Mustafe Musse, 19, and Guled Ali Riley military base. Omar, 20, were arrested in Minneapolis. John T. Booker Jr., 20, of Topeka, Kansas, Abdirahman Yasin Daud, 21, and Mohamed was charged in a criminal complaint with one Abdihamid Farah, 21, were arrested on Sunday count of attempting to use a weapon of mass in California after driving from Minneapolis to destruction, one count of attempting to damage San Diego. property by means of an explosive, and one ―The six defendants charged in the complaint count of attempting to provide material support allegedly planned to travel to Syria as part of to ISIL. their conspiracy to provide material support to In March 2015, Booker—who refers to himself ISIL,‖ said Assistant Attorney General Carlin. as Mohammed Abdullah Hassan—allegedly ―One of the National Security Division‘s highest plotted to construct an explosive device for an priorities is to identify, disrupt, and hold attack on American soil and he repeatedly accountable those who provide or attempt to stated that he desired to engage in violent jihad provide material support to designated foreign on behalf of ISIL. terrorist organizations.‖ Alexander E. Blair, 28, also was charged in According to the criminal complaint, the FBI connection with the car bomb plot. During the has been conducting an investigation for the investigation of Booker, law enforcement last 10 months into a group of individuals who officers discovered that Blair shared Booker‘s have tried to join, or succeeded in joining, an extremist views and loaned money to Booker to overseas designated foreign terrorist rent a storage unit to store components for a organization. At least nine Minnesotans have bomb. now been charged as part of this ―We face a continued threat from individuals conspiracy to provide material within our own borders who may be motivated support to ISIL. by a variety of causes,‖ said US Attorney ―As described in the criminal complaint, these men worked www.cbrne-terrorism-newsletter.com CBRNE-Terrorism Newsletter May 2015 over the course of the last 10 months to join device for use in a terrorist attack on American ISIL,‖ said US Attorney Luger. ―Even when soil. Although they had not yet specified their co-conspirators were caught and charged, targets, the women had carefully studied how they continued to seek new and creative ways to construct an explosive device to launch an to leave Minnesota to fight for a terror group.‖ attack on the homeland, including how to In addition, in November, DOJ announced a develop bombs with items such as pressure criminal complaint charging Abdi Nur, 20, and cookers, which were also used in the Boston Abdullah Yusuf, 18, with conspiracy to provide Marathon bombing. material support to a designated terrorist ―The defendants allegedly plotted to wreak organization after attempting to travel from terror by creating explosive devices and even Minnesota to the Middle East to join ISIL. researching the pressure cooker bombs used ―As charged, these two young men conspired during the Boston Marathon bombing,‖ said to join ISIL and travel from Minnesota to the Assistant Director in Charge Rodriguez. ―We Middle East to engage in a campaign of terror continue to pursue those who look to commit in support of a violent ideology,‖ said US acts of terror and deter others who think they Attorney Luger.
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