The Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies (DKI APCSS) CTGo! Counter-Terrorism & Irregular Warfare Newsletter 16 April 2021 edition Please enjoy this week’s selection of news articles provided by your DKI APCSS Counter-Terrorism & Irregular Warfare (CTIW) team:
COVID-19 and violent extremism: Covid-19 pandemic has indirectly reduced terrorism threats - Bukit Aman https://www.edgeprop.my/content/1830178/covid-19-pandemic-has-indirectly-reduced-terrorism- threats-bukit-aman
Has Covid-19 knocked terrorism off aviation's most feared threat list? https://www.airport-technology.com/features/has-covid19-knocked-terrorism-off-aviation-most- feared-list/
Africa: Mozambique: Terrorists Stole Perhaps a Million Dollars in Palma https://allafrica.com/stories/202104150135.html
Women at the heart of Boko Haram and katiba Macina https://issafrica.org/iss-today/women-at-the-heart-of-boko-haram-and-katiba-macina
ISIS Regroups in Central Africa's Christian Countries https://www.newsmax.com/world/globaltalk/isis-africa-christian-countries- muslims/2021/04/15/id/1017768/
Target Maiduguri: How Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP)’s Ramadan Offensive Will Counter Operation Tura Takai Bango https://jamestown.org/program/target-maiduguri-how-islamic-state-in-west-africa-province-iswaps- ramadan-offensive-will-counter-operation-tura-takai-bango/
The Evolution and Escalation of the Islamic State Threat to Mozambique https://www.fpri.org/article/2021/04/the-evolution-and-escalation-of-the-islamic-state-threat-to- mozambique/
FOREIGN FIGHTERS AND THE TRAJECTORY OF VIOLENCE IN NORTHERN MOZAMBIQUE https://warontherocks.com/2021/04/foreign-fighters-and-the-trajectory-of-violence-in-northern- mozambique/
Americas: FBI director says U.S. racially motivated extremists traveled to network in Europe https://www.reuters.com/world/us/fbi-director-says-us-far-right-extremists-traveled-network-europe- 2021-04-15/
An Old Debate Renewed: Does The U.S. Now Need A Domestic Terrorism Law? https://www.npr.org/2021/03/16/976430540/an-old-debate-renewed-does-the-u-s-now-need-a- domestic-terrorism-law
Number of US Troops Linked to Domestic Terror Plots Small but Growing https://www.voanews.com/usa/number-us-troops-linked-domestic-terror-plots-small-growing
Former Pentagon official chosen to run the National Counterterrorism Center. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/12/us/politics/christine-abizaid-national-counterterrorism- center.html
Illinois man who was trying to give phones to the Islamic State to use as DETONATORS in Syria is jailed for 13 years https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9456057/Long-sentence-man-accused-trying-aid-Islamic- State.html?ito=social-twitter_dailymailus
“This is War”: Examining Military Experience Among the Capitol Hill Siege Participants https://ctc.usma.edu/this-is-war-examining-military-experience-among-the-capitol-hill-siege- participants/
Biden budget adds $111 million to battle domestic terrorism https://thehill.com/policy/national-security/547408-biden-budget-adds-111-million-to-battle-domestic- terrorism#.YHROiBzJmQw.twitter
White supremacists drive US domestic terrorist attacks to highest level in 25 years https://thehill.com/changing-america/respect/equality/547731-white-supremacists-drive-us-domestic- terrorist-attacks-to
The Military, Police, and the Rise of Terrorism in the United States https://www.csis.org/analysis/military-police-and-rise-terrorism-united-states
CSIS Public Report 2020 https://www.canada.ca/content/dam/csis-scrs/documents/publications/2021/CSIS-Public-Report- 2020.pdf
“I Felt Hate More Than Anything”: How an Active Duty Airman Tried to Start a Civil War https://www.propublica.org/article/i-felt-hate-more-than-anything-how-an-active-duty-airman-tried-to- start-a-civil-war
Oath Keepers stashed weapons at hotel near Capitol ahead of Jan. 6 riot: Prosecutors https://www.rawstory.com/oath-keepers-2652512665/
AMERICAN INSURRECTION https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/film/american-insurrection/
Europe: St Paul's bomb plot: Norwegian man charged https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-london-56729605
Turkey nabs Daesh terrorist, FETÖ members crossing into Greece https://www.dailysabah.com/politics/war-on-terror/turkey-nabs-daesh-terrorist-feto-members- crossing-into-greece
Fishmongers' Hall attack: Police carried victims to waiting ambulances because of safety concerns https://news.sky.com/story/fishmongers-hall-attack-police-carried-victims-to-waiting-ambulances- because-of-safety-concerns-12276492
Swiss government defends anti-terrorism law against critcism over child rights https://www.reuters.com/article/us-swiss-referendum-idUSKBN2C01OR
Leamington Spa man accused of terrorism offences appears in court https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-coventry-warwickshire-56749117
Dutch court sentences wife of ISIS member to four years in prison https://www.jurist.org/news/2021/04/dutch-court-sentences-wife-of-isis-member-to-four-years-in- prison/
Turkey: 8 Daesh/ISIS terror suspects arrested https://www.aa.com.tr/en/turkey/turkey-8-daesh-isis-terror-suspects-arrested/2207546
Son of ISIS fighter given Irish passport back following legal challenge https://www.thenationalnews.com/world/europe/son-of-isis-fighter-given-irish-passport-back- following-legal-challenge-1.1201597
NS Fight Club: How an MMA gym became a haven for Bulgaria’s far-right extremists https://www.bloodyelbow.com/2021/4/8/22371932/ns-fight-club-mma-gym-bulgaria-far-right- extremists-neo-nazi-radicalization-feature
Manchester Arena Inquiry: Mum noticed 'odd' bomber before blast https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-manchester-56720975
Northern Ireland: The role of social media in stirring up unrest https://news.sky.com/story/northern-ireland-the-role-of-social-media-in-stirring-up-unrest-12270775
ISIS recruiter murdered gay man and injured another for committing ‘grave sin’ of holding hands https://uk.news.yahoo.com/isis-recruiter-murdered-gay-man-120016272.html
Fishmongers’ Hall terrorist carried out stabbing minutes after claiming he had turned away from ‘wrong path’ https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/fishmongers-hall-terrorist-usman-khan-jack-merritt-saskia-jones- b929439.html
Sahayb Abu: Would-be rap star jailed for IS-inspired terror plot https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-london-56697609
Middle East: Car bombing kills four people, 17 wounded in eastern Baghdad: Iraq police https://english.alarabiya.net/News/middle-east/2021/04/15/Car-bombing-kills-four-people-17- wounded-in-eastern-Baghdad-Iraq-police
SDF arrest alleged ISIS commander accused of weapon smuggling https://www.rudaw.net/english/middleeast/syria/15042021
Kidnapped by ISIS, brainwashed and turned into a child soldier: A Yazidi's story https://www.pressenza.com/2021/04/kidnapped-by-isis-brainwashed-and-turned-into-a-child-soldier-a- yazidis-story/
Explosives-laden drone targets U.S. forces at Iraq's Erbil airport https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/rocket-hits-near-erbil-airport-northern-iraq-kurdish- security-officials-2021-04-14/
Islamic State maintains foothold in Syrian desert https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2021/04/islamic-state-maintains-foothold-syrian-desert
North Asia: China celebrates four years without a violent terrorist incident https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3129726/china-celebrates-four-years-without- violent-terrorist-incident
"Terrorism Far From Over": China's Concern Over US' Afghan Pull-Out Plan https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/terrorism-far-from-being-solved-chinas-concern-over-us- afghanistan-pull-out-plan-2414712
Batches of 50 to 100 Uighur workers are being advertised on the Chinese internet https://news.sky.com/story/new-evidence-of-the-strict-controls-uighurs-face-in-factories-thousands-of- miles-from-home-12276248
China may send peacekeeping force to Afghanistan after US troops leave, observers say https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3129707/china-may-send-peacekeeping-force- afghanistan-after-us-troops
Under pressure over Xinjiang, China takes aim at overseas Uighurs, academics https://news.yahoo.com/under-pressure-over-xinjiang-china-093951141.html
China: Bomb attack in Mingjing kills 5 https://www.eureporter.co/world/china-2/2021/04/06/china-bomb-attack-in-mingjing-kills-5/
South & Central Asia: NATO will match US timeline to pull troops out of Afghanistan https://thehill.com/policy/defense/548292-nato-will-match-us-timeline-to-pull-troops-out-of- afghanistan
Sri Lanka bans ISIS, al-Qaeda and 9 other terror groups https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/sri-lanka-bans-isis-al-qaeda-and-9-other-terror-groups-377598
Major ISKP terrorist plot in Quetta foiled, four terrorists killed https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/819891-major-iskp-terrorist-plot-in-quetta-foiled-four-terrorists- killed
Biden's Expensive New Problem in Afghanistan https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2021/04/15/bidens-next-afghanistan-challenge-how-to- police-it-from-outside-482054
India, Bangladesh Boost Counter-Terror Cooperation As 10-Day Military Drills Conclude https://eurasiantimes.com/india-bangladesh-boost-counter-terror-cooperation-as-10-day-military-drills- conclude/
2008 Mumbai terror attack case: U.S. backs India's request for Rana’s extradition https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/2008-mumbai-terror-attack-case-us-backs-indias- request-for-ranas-extradition/article34308645.ece
12 injured in explosion during football match in Balochistan’s Hub https://www.dawn.com/news/1618030
Insurgencies are distinct from wars. India needs new strategy to battle Maoists https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/insurgencies-are-distinct-from-wars-india-needs-new- strategy-to-battle-maoists-101618219176902.html
Southeast Asia: Indonesian Police Kill Suspect Linked to Church Suicide Bombing in Makassar https://www.benarnews.org/english/news/indonesian/id-terrorism-suspect-killed- 04152021132331.html
Rakhine State – Southeast Asia’s Next Marawi? https://thediplomat.com/2021/04/rakhine-state-southeast-asias-next-marawi/
Thai Deep South Peace Talks Could Resume in May https://www.benarnews.org/english/commentaries/far-south-view/talks-possible- 04122021135026.html
Philippines: IS Sub-Leader Killed in Marawi https://www.benarnews.org/english/news/philippine/militant-dies-04122021132409.html
The other caliphate: The Philippines’ fight to contain Islamist extremism in the wake of the Marawi siege (podcast) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p09d7n5r
SOF Stories: Joint Task Force 510, Operation Enduring Freedom-Philippines (video) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=51AzSAv47WM
Philippines: IS Sub-Leader Killed in Marawi https://www.benarnews.org/english/news/philippine/militant-dies-04122021132409.html
Oceania: Christchurch terrorist chooses not to attend court to launch his own legal challenge https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/apr/15/christchurch-terrorist-court-legal-challenge-new- zealand
NZ Oversight office urged after moves to expand counter-terrorism laws https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/440502/oversight-office-urged-after-moves-to-expand-counter- terrorism-laws
AUSTRALIAN RADICAL RIGHT NARRATIVES AND COUNTER-NARRATIVES IN AN AGE OF TERROR https://www.hedayahcenter.org/media-center/latest-news/blog-post-australian-radical-right- narratives-and-counter-narratives-in-an-age-of-terror/
Right-wing: Don’t Designate Azov. https://www.counterextremism.com/blog/dont-designate-azov
Banning extreme-right terrorist organisations: the issues at stake https://www.avert.net.au/blog//banning-extreme-right-terrorist-organisations-the-issues-at-stake
Soldier of Misfortune https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/christopherm51/craig-lang-ukraine-far-right-extremists-true- crime
Gruppe S: German far-right group on trial for 'terror plot' https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-56716712
Bordering on Hate: The Strategic Implications of White Supremacist Extremist Travel between the United States and Canada https://icct.nl/publication/white-supremacist-extremist-travel-the-united-states-canada/
Transnational/General: Terrorists recruit lecturers at biochemical universities to make weapons — FSB chief https://tass.com/politics/1278399
How a “new kind of physics” could track down extremists online https://www.sciencefocus.com/future-technology/how-a-new-kind-of-physics-could-track-down- extremists-online/
Climate Change and Terrorism https://www.newsecuritybeat.org/2021/04/climate-change-terrorism/
'A Caliphate That Gathered': Addressing the Challenge of Jihadist Foreign Fighter Hubs https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/caliphate-gathered-addressing-challenge-jihadist- foreign-fighter-hubs
A Caliph Without a Caliphate: The Biography of ISIS’s New Leader https://newlinesmag.com/reportage/a-caliph-without-a-caliphate-the-biography-of-isiss-new-leader/
This is the company that FBI paid to unlock a terrorist's iPhone https://www.gadgetsnow.com/tech-news/this-is-the-company-that-fbi-paid-to-unlock-a-terrorists- iphone/articleshow/82085150.cms
Exploring the gender dimensions of CVE online https://www.orfonline.org/expert-speak/exploring-gender-dimensions-cve-online/
Women in Acts of Terrorism https://en.tempo.co/read/1452800/women-in-acts-of-terrorism
The Routinization of the Islamic State’s Global Enterprise https://www.hudson.org/research/16798-the-routinization-of-the-islamic-state-s-global-enterprise
Al-Qaeda After Ayman al-Zawahiri https://www.lawfareblog.com/al-qaeda-after-ayman-al-zawahiri
69 Former Guantanamo Detainees Confirmed to Have Returned to Terror Still at Large https://www.hstoday.us/subject-matter-areas/counterterrorism/69-former-guantanamo-detainees- confirmed-to-have-returned-to-terror-still-at-large/
Annual Threat Assessment of the US Intelligence Community https://www.dni.gov/files/ODNI/documents/assessments/ATA-2021-Unclassified-Report.pdf
Strategic Competition & Irregular Warfare: The Iran Threat Network: Four Models of Iran's Nonstate Client Partnerships https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RR4231.html
Deterring Iran in the Gray Zone: Insights from Four Decades of Conflict https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/deterring-iran-gray-zone-insights-four-decades- conflict
Denmark Charges Iranian Dissidents With Terrorism Financing https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-04-15/denmark-charges-iranian-dissidents-with- terrorism-financing
Russia’s Impact on US National Interests: Preventing Terrorist Attacks on US Homeland and Assets Abroad https://russiamatters.org/analysis/russias-impact-us-national-interests-preventing-terrorist-attacks-us- homeland-and-assets
QAnon’s Conspiracy Theories Stoked by China, Russia: Terrorism Expert https://thecrimereport.org/2021/04/13/qanon/
Greece accused of supporting terrorism after revelation ISIS members received Turkish citizenship https://greekcitytimes.com/2021/04/10/greece-accused-terrorism/
AMERICAN VULNERABILITIES IN AN AGE OF GREAT POWER COMPETITION: THE CASE FOR UNDERSTANDING DOMESTIC EXTREMISM THROUGH AN IRREGULAR WARFARE LENS https://mwi.usma.edu/american-vulnerabilities-in-an-age-of-great-power-competition-the-case-for- understanding-domestic-extremism-through-an-irregular-warfare-lens/
PULLING LEVERS, NOT TRIGGERS: BEYOND DIRECT AND INDIRECT APPROACHES TO IRREGULAR WARFARE https://mwi.usma.edu/pulling-levers-not-triggers-beyond-direct-and-indirect-approaches-to-irregular- warfare/
Iran and Israel’s Undeclared War at Sea (Part 2): The Potential for Military Escalation https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/iran-and-israels-undeclared-war-sea-part-2- potential-military-escalation
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