CTC Sentinel 6(4)
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Load more
Recommended publications
-
The Nairobi Attack and Al-Shabab's Media Strategy
OCTOBER 2013 . VOL 6 . ISSUE 10 Contents The Nairobi Attack and FEATURE ARTICLE 1 The Nairobi Attack and Al-Shabab’s Al-Shabab’s Media Strategy Media Strategy By Christopher Anzalone By Christopher Anzalone REPORTS 6 The Dutch Foreign Fighter Contingent in Syria By Samar Batrawi 10 Jordanian Jihadists Active in Syria By Suha Philip Ma’ayeh 13 The Islamic Movement and Iranian Intelligence Activities in Nigeria By Jacob Zenn 19 Kirkuk’s Multidimensional Security Crisis By Derek Henry Flood 22 The Battle for Syria’s Al-Hasakah Province By Nicholas A. Heras 25 Recent Highlights in Terrorist Activity 28 CTC Sentinel Staff & Contacts Kenyan soldiers take positions outside the Westgate Mall in Nairobi on September 21, 2013. - Photo by Jeff Angote/Getty Images fter carrying out a bold Godane. The attack also followed a attack inside the upscale year in which al-Shabab lost control Westgate Mall in Nairobi in of significant amounts of territory in September 2013, the Somali Somalia, most importantly major urban Amilitant group al-Shabab succeeded in and economic centers such as the cities recapturing the media spotlight. This of Baidoa and Kismayo. was in large part due to the nature of the attack, its duration, the difficulty This article examines al-Shabab’s About the CTC Sentinel in resecuring the mall, the number of media strategy during and immediately The Combating Terrorism Center is an casualties, and al-Shabab’s aggressive after the Westgate Mall attack, both independent educational and research media campaign during and immediately via micro-blogging on Twitter through institution based in the Department of Social after the attack.1 its various accounts as well as more Sciences at the United States Military Academy, traditional media formats such as West Point. -
Download Full Report
How Iran exports its ideology “We shall export our revolution to the whole world. Until the cry ‘there is no god but God’ resounds over the whole world, there will be struggle.” – Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini December 2020 Table of Contents About the Author .................................................................................................................................... 4 Introduction ............................................................................................................................................ 4 Profiles of Institutions Spreading Iran’s Revolution Abroad ................................................................... 6 Universities ..............................................................................................................................6 Al-Mustafa International University ................................................................................................. 6 Islamic Azad University .................................................................................................................... 8 Charitable Organizations ........................................................................................................ 10 Imam Khomeini Relief Committee .................................................................................................. 10 Ahlul Bayt World Assembly ............................................................................................................ 12 Iran’s Media Empire .............................................................................................................. -
The Al Qaeda Network a New Framework for Defining the Enemy
THE AL QAEDA NETWORK A NEW FRAMEWORK FOR DEFINING THE ENEMY KATHERINE ZIMMERMAN SEPTEMBER 2013 THE AL QAEDA NETWORK A NEW FRAMEWORK FOR DEFINING THE ENEMY KATHERINE ZIMMERMAN SEPTEMBER 2013 A REPORT BY AEI’S CRITICAL THREATS PROJECT ABOUT US About the Author Katherine Zimmerman is a senior analyst and the al Qaeda and Associated Movements Team Lead for the Ameri- can Enterprise Institute’s Critical Threats Project. Her work has focused on al Qaeda’s affiliates in the Gulf of Aden region and associated movements in western and northern Africa. She specializes in the Yemen-based group, al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, and al Qaeda’s affiliate in Somalia, al Shabaab. Zimmerman has testified in front of Congress and briefed Members and congressional staff, as well as members of the defense community. She has written analyses of U.S. national security interests related to the threat from the al Qaeda network for the Weekly Standard, National Review Online, and the Huffington Post, among others. Acknowledgments The ideas presented in this paper have been developed and refined over the course of many conversations with the research teams at the Institute for the Study of War and the American Enterprise Institute’s Critical Threats Project. The valuable insights and understandings of regional groups provided by these teams directly contributed to the final product, and I am very grateful to them for sharing their expertise with me. I would also like to express my deep gratitude to Dr. Kimberly Kagan and Jessica Lewis for dedicating their time to helping refine my intellectual under- standing of networks and to Danielle Pletka, whose full support and effort helped shape the final product. -
MIRD Thesis Full Draft
Jihadi Terrorists In Europe: Their Characteristics and Their Recruitment Circumstances in the 21st Century Monday, May 23rd 2016 MSc Thesis Pietro Moro First Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Hosli, Madeleine Second Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Bakker, Edwin MSc International Relations & Diplomacy Leiden University The Netherlands Institute of International Relations Clingendael Acknowledgements Apart from the research that was conducted since January 2016, this thesis is the product of two years of academic guidance inspired to me by the MSc program in International Relations and Diplomacy by Leiden University, and the Netherlands Institute of International Relations Clingendael. Furthermore, in the previous year I had the opportunity to refine my research and analytical skills at the Institute of Security and Global Affairs. Therefore, I would like to especially thank Dr. Madeleine Hosli and Dr. Edwin Bakker for shepherding me throughout this time, and who have been kind enough to supervise my academic growth and the process leading up to this thesis. My gratitude also goes to the researchers at the Institute of Security and Global Affairs for helping me with a few of the unexpected intricacies that arose while writing this thesis. I would also like to thank my friends for helping translate the multitude of sources written in different languages, and my family for their support and patience in the culmination of my studies. !2 of 73! Abstract Figure 1: Cases of Jihadi Terrorism in the European Union (2010-2015). Globally, since the beginning of the 21st century, there has been over a nine-fold increase in the number of deaths from terrorism, rising from 3,329 in 2000 to 32,685 in 2014. -
The Future of Iranian Terror and Its Threat to the U.S. Homeland
THE FUTURE OF IRANIAN TERROR AND ITS THREAT TO THE U.S. HOMELAND HEARING BEFORE THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON COUNTERTERRORISM AND INTELLIGENCE OF THE COMMITTEE ON HOMELAND SECURITY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ONE HUNDRED FOURTEENTH CONGRESS SECOND SESSION FEBRUARY 11, 2016 Serial No. 114–53 Printed for the use of the Committee on Homeland Security Available via the World Wide Web: http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/ U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE 21–525 PDF WASHINGTON : 2016 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Publishing Office Internet: bookstore.gpo.gov Phone: toll free (866) 512–1800; DC area (202) 512–1800 Fax: (202) 512–2104 Mail: Stop IDCC, Washington, DC 20402–0001 COMMITTEE ON HOMELAND SECURITY MICHAEL T. MCCAUL, Texas, Chairman LAMAR SMITH, Texas BENNIE G. THOMPSON, Mississippi PETER T. KING, New York LORETTA SANCHEZ, California MIKE ROGERS, Alabama SHEILA JACKSON LEE, Texas CANDICE S. MILLER, Michigan, Vice Chair JAMES R. LANGEVIN, Rhode Island JEFF DUNCAN, South Carolina BRIAN HIGGINS, New York TOM MARINO, Pennsylvania CEDRIC L. RICHMOND, Louisiana LOU BARLETTA, Pennsylvania WILLIAM R. KEATING, Massachusetts SCOTT PERRY, Pennsylvania DONALD M. PAYNE, JR., New Jersey CURT CLAWSON, Florida FILEMON VELA, Texas JOHN KATKO, New York BONNIE WATSON COLEMAN, New Jersey WILL HURD, Texas KATHLEEN M. RICE, New York EARL L. ‘‘BUDDY’’ CARTER, Georgia NORMA J. TORRES, California MARK WALKER, North Carolina BARRY LOUDERMILK, Georgia MARTHA MCSALLY, Arizona JOHN RATCLIFFE, Texas DANIEL M. DONOVAN, JR., New York BRENDAN P. SHIELDS, Staff Director JOAN V. O’HARA, General Counsel MICHAEL S. TWINCHEK, Chief Clerk I. LANIER AVANT, Minority Staff Director SUBCOMMITTEE ON COUNTERTERRORISM AND INTELLIGENCE PETER T. -
Iran's Ideological Expansion
Iran’s Ideological Expansion “We shall export our revolution to the whole world. Until the cry ‘there is no god but God’ resounds over the whole world, there will be struggle.” – Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini June 2018 Table of Contents About the Author ......................................................................................................................................... 4 Introduction .................................................................................................................................................. 4 Profiles of Institutions Spreading Iran’s Revolution Abroad ...................................................................... 6 Universities .............................................................................................................................................. 6 Al-Mustafa International University ..................................................................................................... 6 Islamic Azad University ......................................................................................................................... 8 Charitable Organizations ..................................................................................................................... 10 Imam Khomeini Relief Committee ...................................................................................................... 11 Ahlul Bayt World Assembly ................................................................................................................. 13 Iran’s -
State Sponsor of Terror: the Global Threat of Iran
State Sponsor of Terror: The Global Threat of Iran Statement before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Terrorism, Nonproliferation, and Trade Ilan Berman Vice President American Foreign Policy Council February 11, 2015 Chairman Poe, distinguished members of the Subcommittee: It is an honor to appear before you today to discuss the global threat posed by the Islamic Republic of Iran. It is an issue that has received far too little attention over the past year-and-a-half. Since the start of negotiations between Iran and the P5+1 powers in November of 2013, the attention of the United States and its diplomatic partners has focused almost exclusively on one aspect of Iran’s activities, its nuclear program. For the Obama administration, reaching some sort of durable compromise with the Iranian regime over its nuclear ambitions has become an overriding objective. As Deputy National Security Advisor Ben Rhodes told a meeting of political activists in January of 2014, securing such a deal is considered by the White House to be as significant as its previous success on healthcare, the signature initiative of President Obama’s first term.1 Moreover, with the rise of the Islamic State terrorist group in Iraq, the White House has gravitated toward the notion that Iran also can serve as a constructive security partner. Administration officials have said that they see a role for Iran in the international coalition that Washington is now erecting,2 and tactical coordination between Tehran and Washington on combat operations is widely understood to be taking place. -
IRGC and Hezbollah
Major Beneficiaries of the Iran Deal: IRGC and Hezbollah Dr. Matthew Levitt Fromer-Wexler Fellow and Director, Stein Program on Counterterrorism and Intelligence, The Washington Institute for Near East Policy Testimony submitted to the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Middle East and North Africa September 17, 2015 Chairman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Ranking Member Deutch, and Members of the Committee, thank you for this opportunity to appear before you today to discuss the recent activities of two of the major beneficiaries of the Iran deal: Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corp (IRGC) and Lebanese Hezbollah, Iran's primary proxy active both as a regional militia and international terrorist group. Allow me to focus on Hezbollah. Iran is Hezbollah's primary benefactor, giving the Lebanese political party and militant group some $200 million a year in addition to weapons, training, intelligence, and logistical assistance. Over the past eighteen months, however, Iran has cut back its financial support to Hezbollah—a collateral benefit of the unprecedented international sanctions regime targeting Iran's nuclear program, as well as the fall in oil prices. The cutback has mostly curtailed Hezbollah's political, social, and military activities inside Lebanon. Its social- service institutions have cut costs, employees have received paychecks late or been laid off, and funding for civilian organizations, such as the group's satellite television station, al-Manar, has been reduced. By contrast, Hezbollah's Syria command, which has been a priority for Tehran given its commitment to defending Bashar al-Assad's regime, has shown no sign of financial hardship. As a result of the sanctions relief due Tehran under the Iran deal, Hezbollah expects additional funds will come its way, which will enable Hezbollah to push back against Lebanese political and social movements that are uncomfortable with its intervention in Syria. -
DOJ Public/Unsealed Terrorism and Terrorism-Related Convictions 9/11
DOJ Public/Unsealed Terrorism and Terrorism-Related Convictions 9/11/01-12/31/14 Date of Initial Terrorist Country or If Parents Are Defendant's Immigration Status If a U.S. Citizen, Entry or Immigration Status Current Organization Conviction Current Territory of Origin, Citizens, Natural- Number Charge Date Conviction Date Defendant Age at Conviction Offenses Sentence Date Sentence Imposed Last U.S. Residence at Time of Natural-Born or Admission to at Time of Initial Immigration Status Affiliation or District Immigration Status If Not a Natural- Born or Conviction Conviction Naturalized? U.S., If Entry or Admission of Parents Inspiration Born U.S. Citizen Naturalized? Applicable 243 months 18/2339B; 18/922(g)(1); 1 5/27/2014 10/30/2014 Donald Ray Morgan 44 ISIS 5/13/15 imprisonment; 3 years MDNC NC U.S. Citizen U.S. Citizen Natural-Born N/A N/A N/A 18/924(a)(2) SR 3 years imprisonment; Unknown. Mother 2 8/29/2013 10/28/2014 Robel Kidane Phillipos 19 2x 18/1001(a)(2) 6/5/15 3 years SR; $25,000 DMA MA U.S. Citizen U.S. Citizen Naturalized Ethiopia came as a refugee fine from Ethiopia. 3 4/1/2014 10/16/2014 Akba Jihad Jordan 22 ISIS 18/2339A EDNC NC U.S. Citizen U.S. Citizen 4 9/24/2014 10/3/2014 Mahdi Hussein Furreh 31 Al-Shabaab 18/1001 DMN MN 25 years Lawful Permanent 5 11/28/2012 9/25/2014 Ralph Kenneth Deleon 26 Al-Qaeda 18/2339A; 18/956; 18/1117 2/23/15 CDCA CA N/A Philippines imprisonment; life SR Resident 18/2339A; 18/2339B; 25 years 6 12/12/2012 9/25/2014 Sohiel Kabir 37 Al-Qaeda 18/371 (1812339D 2/23/15 CDCA CA U.S. -
Bucuresti, 15 Septembrie 2008
שגריר ישראל AMBASSADOR OF ISRAEL 8.02.2013 Hezbollah, a security threat to Europe The conclusions of the official investigation of the Bulgarian Government into the 18 July 2012 Burgas bus bombing are clear: the terrorist organization Hezbollah was directly responsible. The terrorist attack in Burgas, which killed five innocent Israelis and a Bulgarian citizen and wounded more than 100 people was not an isolated incident, but one element in a worldwide terrorist campaign conducted by Iran and its proxy Hezbollah. In fact, the Bulgarian report provides proof that Hezbollah is engaged in terrorist activities across Europe. Its intention to strike on European soil was evident when a similar plot was thwarted in Cyprus 11 days prior to the Burgas attack. Terrorism has no boundaries and the time has come for the European Union to recognize Hezbollah as a terrorist organization and place it on its official list of terrorist entities. This decision would be an important step in the fight against terrorism, as it would provide the legal basis for closer monitoring of Hezbollah’s international activity and infrastructure, as well as placing pressure on the financial dealings and criminal activities which enable its terrorist attacks. This would lay the groundwork for preventing future Hezbollah strikes against innocent civilians of EU Member States, including Romanian citizens. The hesitation of some European governments to declare Hezbollah a security threat is based on a misunderstanding of the nature of the group. Despite the fact that it holds seats in the Lebanese government, it is a single, unified organization with a single leader, Hassan Nasrallah, who controls both terrorist actions and those "civilian" activities which serve to bolster support for the terrorists. -
Isis in the West
NEW INTERNATIONAL AMERICA SECURITY PETER BERGEN, COURTNEY SCHUSTER, AND DAVID STERMAN ISIS IN THE WEST THE NEW FACES OF EXTREMISM NOVEMBER 2015 About New America About the International Security Program New America is dedicated to the renewal of American The International Security Program aims to provide politics, prosperity, and purpose in the Digital Age. We evidence-based analysis of some of the thorniest carry out our mission as a nonprofit civic enterprise: an questions facing American policymakers and the public. intellectual venture capital fund, think tank, technology The program is largely focused on South Asia and the laboratory, public forum, and media platform. Our Middle East, al-Qaeda and allied groups, the rise of hallmarks are big ideas, impartial analysis, pragmatic political Islam, the proliferation of weapons of mass policy solutions, technological innovation, next destruction (WMD), homeland security, and the activities generation politics, and creative engagement with broad of U.S. Special Forces and the CIA. The program is also audiences. Find out more at newamerica.org/our-story. examining how warfare is changing because of emerging technologies, such as drones, cyber threats, and space- based weaponry, and asking how the nature and global About The Authors spread of these technologies is likely to change the very definition of what war is. Peter Bergen is a print, television and web journalist, documentary producer and the The authors would like to thank Emily Schneider and author or editor of six books, three of which Justin Lynch for their assistance with this research. were New York Times bestsellers and three of which were named among the best non- fiction books of the year by The Washington Post. -
Congressional Record—Senate S1674
S1674 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE March 12, 2013 will have a ripple effect that could curb REMEMBERING BORAH VAN always gone first, providing a blueprint medical discoveries and weaken the DORMOLEN that helped guide negotiations on Cap- economies across the country. Mr. CORNYN. Mr. President, I want itol Hill, but not under this President. Dr. Francis Collins, Director of the to start my remarks today by remem- The budget process is an opportunity NIH, says there is no question that se- bering a great Texan who passed away for the President to outline his prior- questration will slow the development just yesterday. Sandy, my wife, and I ities. It is an opportunity for the Presi- of an influenza vaccine and cancer re- are deeply saddened by the loss of dent to tell the American people what search. we can afford and how we are going to Eli Zerhouni, head of NIH under Borah Van Dormolen, a remarkable pa- triot, a respected leader, and a loving pay for it. Above all, it is an oppor- President George W. Bush, said: tunity for the President to show real We are going to maim our innovation capa- wife. Borah rose through the ranks of the leadership on issues of national impor- bilities if we do these abrupt deep cuts at tance. NIH. It will impact science for generations U.S. Army, achieving the rank of lieu- to come. tenant colonel. After more than two As ADM Mike Mullen, the former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Right now, when so much good re- decades serving her Nation in the uni- said: The greatest national security search is moving us forward, we should form of the U.S.