The Clarion Project By Meira SvirskyHorrific Honor Killings in Phoenix A Muslim man in Arizona was arrested for four honor killings — his wife, two daughters and the man with whom he believed his wife was having an affair.According to Phoenix Police Sergeant Tommy Thompson, “[Austin Smith] said that the reason he shot these individuals is because in God’s eyes, it was all right for him to deal with someone in this manner who had been involved in adultery, extramarital affairs.”Smith also told police he killed his seven-year-old daughter because she was “weeping for the wicked.”According to court documents, he said spared his three-year old who was found hiding under a bed because she reminded him of himself.As in many cases of honor crimes, some will protest this was merely a case of domestic violence (not withstanding the horrific nature of the crime). And in truth, what is the difference?Quite...

NBC News 'American Taliban' John Walker Lindh to be released from prison next month A federal judge in Virginia ordered that Lindh can't view extremist videos online and must get permission to obtain an internet-capable device. By Tom Winter and Pete WilliamsJohn Walker Lindh, the American man who pleaded guilty to fighting for the Taliban after the 9/11 attacks, is slated to be released from prison next month under terms restricting his internet access.A federal judge in Virginia ordered that Lindh, 38, can't have an internet-capable device without permission from his probation office, can’t view or access extremist or terrorism videos, and must allow the probation office to monitor his internet use. "Given the rare nature of defendant's crime and his unique personal history and characteristics, the probation officer recently filed a request asking the court to impose additional special conditions of supervised release which will govern defendant's behavior post-confinement,"...

BBC News By Emma Thelwell and Gareth Evans Summary Eight blasts hit locations including churches and hotels across Sri Lanka, leaving at least 207 people dead and 450 injured Congregations were taking part in Easter Sunday services at the churches when the blasts hit The five-star Shangri-La, Kingsbury and Cinnamon Grand hotels in the heart of Colombo were targeted The death toll could rise significantly as hospitals report casualty figures. At least 27 foreigners are known to have died At least seven people have been arrested in connection with the attacks, officials say View updates at https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-asia-48002165...

ABC News College professor bought 1-way ticket to Rome before St. Patrick’s Cathedral arson attempt, police say Lamparello is professor and a former music director at a Roman Catholic Church. By Karma Allen A part-time philosophy professor was charged with attempted arson on Thursday after he entered a historic cathedral with gasoline and lighter fluid, investigators said.Marc Lamparello, a former director of music at a New Jersey Roman Catholic Church, was arrested at the historic St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City on Wednesday night after security stopped him with two cans of gasoline, lighter fluid and butane lighters, police said.  Sources with the New York City Police Department told ABC News that he also purchased a one-way ticket to Rome, which was scheduled to depart from Newark, New Jersey, on Thursday evening.Lamparello, 37, was charged with attempted arson, reckless endangerment and some violations of city codes. He told police...

By Clarion Intelligence Network Rondell Henry, a 28-year-old Maryland man recently arrested for planning an ISIS-inspired ramming attack in the Washington. D.C. area, regularly led prayers at the Islamic Society of Germantown (ISG). Here is Clarion’s exclusive profile of the ISG, noting its Islamist connections: The ISG invited guest speakers from the Qalam Institute The Qalam Institute hosts a document on its website warning that Muslims who seek “cleanliness” and “purity” should “not resemble the Jews.” Abdelrahman Murphy, who lectures and gives sermons for the Qalam Institute, stated: “There is no such thing as an innocent Israeli.” The ISG advertises events sponsored by the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) For example: Read more: https://clarionproject.org/exclusive-maryland-mosque-arrested-led-prayers/...

 

FLIR Systems Awarded $48.1M from U.S. Department of Defense for the Sensor Suite Upgrade for the Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Reconnaissance VehicleARLINGTON, Va. – April 11, 2019 – FLIR Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: FLIR) announced today it has received an award from the United States (U.S.) Department of Defense (DOD) Joint Program Executive Office for Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Defense (JPEO-CBRND) in support of the Nuclear Biological Chemical Reconnaissance Vehicle Sensor Suite Upgrade (NBCRV SSU) program for the U.S. Army. The Other Transaction Authority Agreement (OTA) is valued at $48.1 million, with execution extending through mid-2022. FLIR will be the lead integrator in the modernization of the U.S. Army’s NBCRV system. Under the agreement, FLIR will develop a platform agnostic modular mission payload, which integrates multiple chemical, biological and radiological sensors into a flexible command and control (C2) system. This C2 system will allow for data integration from the various...

The Verge by Colin Lecher European Union lawmakers today approved controversial legislation that would require platforms to take down terrorist content within one hour of receiving notification from authorities.The European Parliament passed the measure by a vote of 308 to 204, and the text will be further negotiated among lawmakers before becoming law. Passed 308 to 204Under the legislation, called the Terrorist Content Regulation, companies could be fined up to 4 percent of revenue if they consistently fail to remove terrorist content. The plan would apply to major companies like Facebook and YouTube, but much of the debate has focused on smaller platforms, as critics have charged that the plan places an undue burden on those companies. Read more: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/aggressive-new-terrorist-content-regulation-passes-eu-vote/ar-BBW2e3c...

In Homeland Security DSS Helps Secure Boston Marathon, Preps Peruvians for Pan American Games By Glynn Cosker Managing Editor, In Homeland SecurityThe Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) is collaborating with its counterparts from Peru as they help secure runners and onlookers at Monday’s Boston Marathon. DSS will welcome members of the Peruvian National Police, giving them a chance to observe and support security at the marathon in preparation for Peru’s hosting of the Pan American Games in Lima from July 26 to August 11.DSS is the federal law enforcement and security sector of the U.S. Department of State – primarily focused on securing the safety of U.S. personnel, property and other resources overseas. Additionally, DSS secures the Secretary of State and the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations at all times and the security of all foreign dignitaries attending the annual U.N. General Assembly in New York City. Another major task...

Houston Chronicle Chron TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran's lawmakers on Tuesday overwhelmingly approved a bill labeling U.S. forces in the Middle East as terrorist, a day after the U.S. terrorism designation for Iran's Revolutionary Guard formally took effect, state TV reported.Defense Minister Gen. Amir Hatami introduced the bill authorizing the government to act firmly in response to "terrorist actions" by U.S. forces. It demands authorities use "legal, political and diplomatic" measures to neutralize the American move, without elaborating.The U.S. move aims at "thwarting Iran's influence," and shows that America's longstanding sanctions against Iran have become ineffective, Hatami told lawmakers.During the debate, some hard-liner lawmakers had demanded listing the entire U.S. army and security forces as terrorist.The TV report said 204 lawmakers approved the bill, out of 207 present at the session in the 290-seat chamber. Two lawmakers voted against the bill and one abstained.However, it remains unclear how the bill's...

The Wall Street Journal U.S. Treasury Targets Islamic State Financial Network With Sanctions Latest additions to the agency’s sanctions list includes six people associated with the Rawi Network in Iraq, which moved money for the terrorist group By Kristin Broughton The U.S. Treasury Department on Monday imposed sanctions on seven individuals and a money-services business that the agency said helped move money for Islamic State.The action comes less than a month after U.S.-backed forces captured the last territory controlled by Islamic State in Syria, marking the demise of the group’s so-called caliphate.The Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control targeted six members of the Rawi Network, a financial organization based in Iraq that the department says helped Islamic State facilitate transactions across Europe, Africa and the Middle East.The network was used by former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein in the early 1990s to evade sanctions and later supported Islamic State by smuggling...

AFP, Baghdad Iraq has begun trial proceedings for nearly 900 Iraqi suspected members of ISIS extremist group caught fleeing extremist territory in neighboring Syria, a judicial source told AFP on Sunday.They were handed over to Iraqi authorities by the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, which ousted ISIS from swathes of eastern Syria including territory bordering Iraq.“We received the interrogation files of nearly 900 Iraqi Daesh (ISIS) members coming from Syria,” the court official said, speaking anonymously because he was not authorized to talk to the media.“The specialized terrorism court has begun setting dates for their trial in batches,” the source added.The nearly 900 suspected extremists were transferred by the SDF to Iraqi custody in recent months as the remnants of ISIS’ once sprawling self-declared “caliphate” collapsed in neighboring Syria. Read more: http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2019/04/14/Iraq-begins-trial-proceedings-for-900-ISIS-suspects.html...

Department of Homeland Secretary DHS Actions to End Legal Loopholes and Secure Our BorderRepresentative Kevin Yoder (R-KS), Chairman of the Homeland Security Appropriations Committee, met with DHS personnel at the US-Mexico border on June 6, 2018.The Department of Homeland Security is committed to enforcing our immigration laws so that we can secure our border and keep the American people safe. DHS is taking action to disrupt cartels, smugglers, and nefarious actors. These actions include referring and then prosecuting 100 percent of illegal border crossers, building the first new border wall in a decade, and deploying the National Guard to the border. Read more: https://www.dhs.gov/ending-legal-loopholes-and-securing-our-border...

South China Morning Post Southeast Asia Philippine IS leader’s death confirmed by DNA tests   * Abu Dar, real name Benito Marohombsar, was killed in March after clashes with government forces near the southern city of Marawi    * He had helped plan a bloody siege of the city in 2017 along with the slain IS emir Isnilon Hapilon and Maute Group leaders Omar and Abdullah MauteThe Guardian  DNA tests have confirmed the death of a Philippine Islamic State leader known as “Abu Dar”, the last surviving leader of the IS-affiliated Maute Group, after a months-long military operation.The country’s defence secretary, Delfin Lorenzana, said it means “the self-proclaimed Isis leader is dead”, using another abbreviation for the militant group.“His group is leaderless in the meantime and also they are scattered after that successful operation by the army,” he said.   Read more: https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3006095/philippine-leaders-death-confirmed-dna-tests...

Obama’s DHS Secretary On Current Illegal Immigration Numbers: “This Is A Crisis By Any Measure”   ...

Bringing Down IRGC’s Terrorist Networks Tricky But Necessary – AnalysisEurasia Review By Dr. Theodore Karasik  By order of President Donald Trump, the US State Department is designating the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the military arm of the Islamic Republic of Iran, as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) in its entirety, including the Quds Force. The administration sees this as a necessary step to counter Iran-backed terrorism around the world. Criminal prosecutions are now easier but still complicated.Many are divided on the designation, arguing that such a move means that the IRGC will quickly engage American troops or attack US targets anywhere in the world, but more specifically in the lands that Iran occupies or influences in the Middle East. Also, the US will pursue criminal cases against anybody who interacts with the IRGC or any of its octopus-like tentacles in Asia, Europe and Latin America.It is important to understand...

The Washington Post By Rachel WeinerA man who was under investigation for suspected interest in Islamic extremism was convicted Tuesday of sending pornographic images to a 15-year-old girl and trying to coerce her to respond in kind.Seitu Kokayi, 30, had taught the girl at an Islamic school in D.C. since she was 6 or 7, according to trial testimony. But over several weeks in August, when she was visiting family in Minnesota, he began engaging her in sexual conversations and video chats.Federal law enforcement officials had obtained a secret wiretap on Kokayi’s phone based on classified intelligence, according to court filings. Prosecutors previously produced evidence that Kokayi shared extremist propaganda with the girl and other students, but they did not raise those allegations at trial.Prosecutor Kellan Dwyer described Kokayi as a “wolf in sheep’s clothing,” a “trusted teacher” who used that relationship to pressure the girl to engage in sexual...

More police quick response teams to boost Singapore's counter-terrorism effortsThe Straits Times by Fabian KohSINGAPORE - Singapore's counter-terrorism response will be given a boost, with more police quick response teams to be deployed at busy locations.In-Situ Reaction Team (IRT) officers were first deployed in December 2017 and patrols will be increased in popular areas such as Orchard Road and Marina Bay to heighten security during festive periods.Minister for Home Affairs and Law K. Shanmugam announced the measure on Thursday (April 11), emphasising the need for a robust counter-terrorism capability. He cited the Christchurch shootings last month, to show how terror attacks can happen anytime and anywhere."If it can happen in New Zealand, it can happen anywhere. New Zealand is one of the last places you would expect an attack," said Mr Shanmugam at the police force's annual workplan seminar held at the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD). Read...

By Andrew O'Reilly | Fox News President Trump on Monday formally labeled Iran's Revolutionary Guard a "foreign terrorist organization," in Washington’s first such designation for an entire foreign government entity.The announcement, which officials said would put the military organization on the same level as terror groups like Hezbollah and Hamas, is the latest administration step to increase pressure on Iran. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, citing the IRGC's ties to terror plots, said the designation recognizes a "basic reality."“This designation is a direct response to an outlaw regime and should surprise no one,” he said. “The IRGC masquerades as a legitimate military organization, but none of us should be fooled.”The designation imposes sanctions that include freezes on assets the IRGC may have in U.S. jurisdictions and a ban on Americans doing business with it. The move also allows the U.S. to deny entry to people found to have provided the...

Frisco Enterprise by Kelsey Samuels The 18-year-old Plano teen who plotted an ISIS-inspired terrorist attack at Stonebriar Centre in Frisco pleaded guilty, Collin County District Attorney Greg Willis and U.S. Attorney Joe Brown announced Monday. Matin Azizi-Yarand was sentenced to 20 years in prison for criminal solicitation of capital murder and 10 years for terrorist threats. Azizi-Yarand planned his terrorist attack for Stonebriar during Ramadan 2018 to lessen the number of Muslim casualties. According to his arrest affidavit, between December and April, Azizi-Yarand expressed a desire to punish America for “slaughtering the (Muslims)” and “Make the kaffar (disbelievers) tremble.” In January, he recruited two other men to join his attack and through March and April, he surveyed the Frisco shopping center and took notes on ways to kill officers stationed around the mall.Over the months, he unknowingly collaborated with undercover officers as part of the FBI’s North Texas Joint Terrorism...