Homeland Security Network Blog

FBI investigating Texas synagogue attack as terrorism as U.K. takes two teens into custody Washington Post By Jennifer Hassan and William BoothLONDON — The FBI is investigating the Texas synagogue attack, in which an armed British citizen took four people hostage, as a terrorist incident — while police in northwestern England took two teenagers into custody for questioning as part of the investigation that now spans two countries.Malik Faisal Akram, a resident of the United Kingdom, held a rabbi and three congregants hostage during Saturday services at Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville, a suburb of Fort Worth and Dallas. The 11-hour standoff ended with the hostages freed and Akram dead, although it remains unclear whether the 44-year-old was killed by police or took his own life.“This is a terrorism-related matter, in which the Jewish community was targeted, and is being investigated by the Joint Terrorism Task Force,” the FBI said in...

Gunman holds hostages at synagogue in Texas, one released An FBI SWAT team was on the scene and law enforcement negotiated with the gunman. By ARIELLA MARSDEN A rabbi and three others were taken hostage during a Shabbat service at the reform Beth Israel Synagogue in Colleyville, Texas, on Saturday. One hostage has been released, leaving three remaining hostages, according to police. According to multiple news outlets, the gunman demanded the release of Pakistani Al-Qaeda-affiliated Aafia Siddiqui, who is serving an 86-year prison sentence for multiple felonies including trying to kill US Army officers. The gunman demanded to meet with Aafia in negotiations with the FBI as well as have her released from a federal medical facility where she has been held for the last few days. According to CNN, the gunman spoke to a New York-based rabbi earlier in the day on the phone and told him that he was...

The Washington Times Iran-Backed Forces In Syria Attack U.S. Troops In Anti-ISIS Coalition  By Mike GlennIran is believed to be behind a number of recent attacks targeting U.S. forces operating in parts of Iraq and Syria as part of a continuing mission to defeat the remnants of Islamic State forces, also known as Daesh.American troops have come under fire at least three times since the start of the new year.The U.S.-led coalition on Jan. 6 accused Iran-backed militias of targeting Green Village, a Syrian Democratic Forces base with a small international advisory presence in northeast Syria. The attack didn’t cause any casualties, but several rounds impacted inside the base and caused minor damage, officials said.Coalition and Syrian Democratic Forces fired six artillery rounds toward the attack’s point of origin in response.The attacks’ indiscriminate nature pose a “serious threat” to civilians in the area, said Army Maj. Gen. John W. Brennan Jr.,...

  The New York Times Justice Dept. Forms Domestic Terrorism UnitThe move is in keeping with Attorney General Merrick B. Garland’s vow to make combating domestic terrorism a priority. by Katie Benner Olsen added, but a group of lawyers will now be dedicated to the domestic threat and ensure that cases will be “handled properly and effectively coordinated” across the agency and federal law enforcement.The move is in keeping with Attorney General Merrick B. Garland’s vow to prioritize combating domestic extremism. It comes as the Justice Department investigates the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, an assault that underscores the resurgence of domestic extremism driven in part by the baseless perception that the 2020 election was marred by election fraud.Last year, the Biden administration unveiled a national strategy to tackle domestic extremism, which called for preventing recruitment by extremist groups and bolstering information sharing across law enforcement.In its budget proposal this...

The National Sweden And France Launch Joint Task Force To Prosecute ISIS Fighters Over Yazidi Genocide by Nicky Harley Authorities in Sweden and France have launched a joint team to investigate atrocities committed by ISIS against the Yazidi community.Europe's crime agency, Eurojust, has set up the team to prosecute foreign terrorist fighters for their persecution of the Yazidi population.More than 10,000 Yazidis were killed when ISIS swept through northern Iraq in 2014 and about 7,000 women and girls were enslaved, many of whom are still missing."The main aim of the team will be to identify foreign terrorist fighters who were involved in core international crimes, such as genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes, primarily perpetrated against members of the Yazidi minority during the armed conflict in Syria and Iraq, in view of potential prosecution," Eurojust said."The team will also focus on identifying victims and witnesses of these crimes committed by...

Reuters Drone Attack On U.S. Forces Foiled West Of Baghdad BAGHDAD, Jan 4 (Reuters) - (This January 4 story corrects year when Soleimani was killed in 10th paragraph to 2020, not 2021)Two explosive-laden drones were shot down on Tuesday by Iraq's air defenses as they approached the Ain al-Asad air base, which hosts U.S. forces, west of Baghdad, an official of the U.S.-led international military coalition said.U.S. officials in recent weeks had warned that they expected an uptick in attacks against U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria, in part because of the second anniversary of the killing of top Iranian general Qassem Soleimani.A similar attack was foiled on Monday, when Iraqi air defenses downed two drones as they approached a base hosting U.S. forces near Baghdad's international airport.Separately, another coalition official told Reuters that the coalition had carried out strikes against an "imminent threat" after they saw several rocket launch sites...

The Wall Street Journal Attacks On U.S. Allies Raise Tensions On Anniversary Of Killing Of Iran’s Soleimani Explosive-laden drones targeted Baghdad’s airport and Yemen’s Houthi rebels seized an Emirati-flagged ship by Jared MalsinYemen’s Houthi rebels seized an Emirati-flagged ship, explosive-laden drones targeted the Iraqi capital’s airport and hackers hit two Israeli newspapers on Monday, raising tensions in the Middle East as Iran-aligned militias attacked U.S. allies on the second anniversary of America’s killing of one of Tehran’s top generals.Meanwhile, Iran held a massive memorial for Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani in the country’s capital to mark the anniversary of the American drone strike in Iraq that killed the military leader and an Iraqi militia commander on Jan. 3, 2020. It wasn’t immediately clear if Monday’s attacks were coordinated or backed by Iran. They came a day after Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei tweeted: “Martyr Soleimani is more dangerous for his enemies than...

WTOP News The Hunt: What To Expect From Domestic Terrorists In The US In 2022by J.J. GreenIn this week’s episode of “The Hunt, with WTOP National Security Correspondent J.J. Green,” Dr. Hans Jakob Schindler, Sr. Director of the Counter Extremism Project, says Americans need to realize that domestic terrorism doesn’t operate in a bubble. Listen at Download This Track Artist Name - THE-HUNT-DEC-29-jgr-WEB.mp3   Read more https://wtop.com/national-security/2021/12/the-hunt-what-to-expect-from-domestic-terrorists-in-the-us-in-2022/

The Epoch Times Biden Administration Takes Down Post on ‘Potential Terrorist’ Apprehended at Southern Border By Zachary Stieber President Joe Biden’s administration has deleted a social media post that informed the public that a “potential terrorist” had been apprehended this month at the U.S.–Mexico border.Chris Clem, a top Border Patrol agent, posted pictures on Twitter last week showing the man who was apprehended.Clem included the man’s age (21), his country of origin (Saudi Arabia), and said the male was “linked to several Yemeni subjects of interest.”But Clem’s post was taken down recently, Customs and Border Protection (CBP), which includes Border Patrol, confirmed to The Epoch Times on Dec. 29.“All individuals encountered at or between U.S. ports of entry are screened and vetted against a broad range of law enforcement and intelligence information to determine if they pose a threat to national security or public safety, consistent with the law. CBP is...

Tampa Bay Times Tampa Terrorism Case Raises Questions Of Surveillance, Searches, Mental Illness Muhammed Al-Azhari is accused of plotting a mass shooting in the name of ISIS. His lawyers have challenged the FBI’s investigative tactics. by Dan SullivanTAMPA — A year ago, federal prosecutors accused a Tampa man of plotting a mass shooting in support of the ISIS terrorist group.FBI agents in a criminal complaint described Muhammed Momtaz Al-Azhari’s collection of a bulletproof vest, an Uzi submachine gun, a silencer and firearm parts, among other items. They said he perused Islamic State chat rooms, researched the 2016 Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando, and explored Honeymoon Island and other popular Tampa Bay locations as they said he planned a similar massacre. Since Al-Azhari’s arrest in May 2020, his case has moved quietly through federal court, with defense attorneys raising questions about the tactics investigators used to monitor him and search his belongings....

The Washington Post Along Afghanistan’s ‘Highway Of Death,’ The Bombs Are Gone But Suffering Has Deepened By Sudarsan Raghavan and Lorenzo Tugnoli Flowing from the capital, the highway begins without promise, a long, curving scar stretching across the navel of Afghanistan. Potholes. Ruts. A bridge destroyed in an airstrike, still unfixed. Visible symbols of two decades of war, corruption, and neglect along the artery that connects the nation’s two largest cities, Kabul and Kandahar. The conflict is over, at least as it was known for the past 20 years: airstrikes, night raids, ambushes, roadside bombs, a grass-roots insurgency that outmaneuvered the world’s most powerful army and its proxies.Taliban fighters, whose attacks burnished this road’s reputation as “the highway of death,” are again Afghanistan’s rulers. The Americans have left, but peace remains elusive. There are fresh enemies, fresh challenges. Hundreds of Afghans have been killed by suicide-bombings and other attacks since the takeover....

The Sydney Morning Herald Sutherland man arrested on Christmas Eve over alleged terror attack plansBy Sally Rawsthorne Counter-terror police say that alleged aspiring jihadist Daniel Greenfield was allegedly well into planning a terror attack when they arrested him in Sutherland on Christmas Eve.The 34-year-old had planned to attack police officers, government officials and other Muslims that he deemed insufficiently devout, Detective Superintendent Michael Sheehy told reporters on Friday morning. "This individual is [allegedly] posting a significant amount of material about bombings and manufacturing explosives,” Det Supt Sheehy said. “We will suggest he was planning to commit a terrorist attack that would be an act of violence against law enforcement. “We are at the point where through the potential rapid escalation we needed to act now to ensure the safety of the community.” Police raided Mr Greenfield’s home on the Kingsway on Friday, arresting him as he left his house early in...

Border Patrol Catch Potential Saudi Terrorist Entering Arizona Illegally From Mexico By TrishIntel.Com Staff The Center Square) – A Saudi Arabian man described by a U.S. Border Patrol chief as a “potential terrorist” was apprehended attempting to enter the U.S. illegally near Yuma, Arizona. He was apprehended wearing a New York county ambulance jacket.Yuma Sector Chief Border Patrol Agent Chris Clem announced the apprehension on Twitter with an accompanying blurred photo of the man.“Yuma Sector agents apprehended a potential terrorist who illegally entered the U.S. from Mexico Thursday night,” Clem wrote. “The 21-year-old migrant from Saudi Arabia is linked to several Yemeni subjects of interest.” Border Patrol hasn’t released any more details about the “Yemeni subjects of interest.” The Saudi national will be processed for an expedited removal from the U.S., per federal immigration law. Full story https://trishintel.com/border-patrol-catch-potential-saudi-terrorist-entering-arizona-illegally-from-mexico/

The Jerusalem Post Terrorist Groups Attempting Wave Of Violence, Bennett Warns Palestinian terrorists have carried out several attacks in Jerusalem and West Bank in recent weeks. By LAHAV HARKOV Prime Minister Naftali Bennett warned of attempts to spark a wave of terrorism in the West Bank, following the capture Sunday morning of four Palestinian terrorists responsible for killing Yehuda Dimentman, 25, and wounding two other yeshiva students on Thursday. “We have witnessed in recent weeks attempts by terrorist organizations to rear their head in Judea and Samaria,” Bennett said at the opening of Sunday’s cabinet meeting. “At the same time, there are terrorist attacks by lone actors, inspired by the regular incitement that may change its platform – in the past it was Facebook and now it’s TikTok – but the incitement is the same incitement.” The IDF, Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency), and all other security forces are prepared, he...

The Straits Times Indonesia's Anti-Terror Squad Arrests 4 Suspected Terrorists Planning Attacks During Christmas And New Year JAKARTA (XINHUA) - The Indonesian Police's anti-terror squad Densus 88 on Monday (Dec 13) arrested four suspected terrorists in the cities of Palembang and Lubuklinggau, in South Sumatra province, a police officer said.They are allegedly linked to the outlawed Jamaah Islamiyah (JI) militant group and are suspected of planning several attacks during Christmas and New Year holidays, the South Sumatra Police's spokesman Senior Commissioner Supriadi told a press conference on Monday.He said that the police had watched the four suspects for four months before arresting them. They are now detained for further investigation.Following the arrest, Supriadi said the police would strengthen security during the holidays, particularly at places of worship, urging people to immediately report to the police if they find something suspicious.JI, an affiliate of Osama bin Laden's Al-Qaeda, was behind some of...

The Wall Street Journal Caught In A Political Crossfire, U.S.-Trained Somali Commandos Suspend Fight Against Islamic State With American forces gone, a skirmish breaks out over one of Somalia’s elite counterterrorism units By Michael M. Philips NAIROBI—A Somali commando unit trained by Central Intelligence Agency operatives and U.S. Navy SEALs has become so entangled in local political power struggles that it has ceased operations against the Islamist militants it was created to fight.Until last year, the 600-strong Puntland Security Force had reported directly to U.S. forces and was largely independent of Somali government control. But now the unit, the main force combating Islamic State’s Somali affiliate, ISIS-Somalia, has abandoned the front lines and returned to its headquarters in the northeastern port of Bosaso, overlooking the Gulf of Aden, according to U.S. officials and Somalis familiar with the situation. The troops have dug defensive positions around their headquarters building in a standoff...

EPOCH Times ‘Officer Down’: Small Towns Shocked by Surge in Ambush Cop Killings Families, colleagues in Louisiana, Georgia, and Virginia open up in wake of heart-wrenching losses By Steven Kovac DOYLINE, La.—“Crinkle-cut fries are better than curly fries.”And with that, Officer Billy Collins got the last word in on a long-running household controversy.The joke was the last thing 17-year-old Danielle Collins heard from her father as she left the house to pick up the family’s dinner.A far different domestic dispute was unfolding at a nearby residence at that very moment.“At 5:45 p.m., we got the call that a suicidal guy with a gun was arguing with his wife and had fired a shot in the air,” Sgt. Coby Barton of the Webster Parish Sheriff’s Office said. “Billy got there three minutes before I did. The location was just 250 yards from his house.”The scene was in the 400 block of Green...

WHBL Three Children Hurt in Waukesha Parade Massacre Still Hospitalized By Rob Sussman MILWAUKEE, WI (WRN) — Three children injured in the Waukesha Christmas Parade Massacre remain hospitalized at Children’s Hospital Wisconsin.They’re listed in “fair condition.” according to a Tuesday update from the hospital. That update also said two other kids were released last week to continue recovering at home.Sixteen kids including three sets of siblings, were admitted to Children’s November 21 after Darrell Brooks Jr. allegedly plowed into the parade behind the wheel of an SUV. Eight-year-old Jordan Sparks died two days later. Five adults also died, dozens more were injured.   Full story https://whbl.com/2021/12/07/three-children-hurt-in-waukesha-parade-massacre-still-hospitalized/

  The Jerusalem Post Incitement Behind Rise In Palestinian Terror Attacks Hamas and PIJ say they are working to ignite a new intifada against Israel, especially in Jerusalem and the West Bank. By KHALED ABU TOAMEH It’s hard to point to a specific reason for the latest wave of terrorist attacks in Jerusalem and the West Bank. What is certain, however, is that the attacks are the result of the ongoing and increasing incitement against Israel by Palestinian officials, factions and media outlets. The attacks are also the result of calls by Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) and other Gaza-based groups for stepping up the “resistance” against Israel. Hamas and PIJ say they are working to ignite a new intifada (uprising) against Israel, especially in Jerusalem and the West Bank. They want to take the fight against Israel to the streets of Jerusalem and the West Bank, while keeping the situation...

Fox News CENTCOM Confirms Drone Strike Targeted Al-Qaeda Leader In Syria CENTCOM says civilian casualties are a possibility By Andrew Mark MillerThe United States military conducted a drone strike in Syria targeting a senior al-Qaeda leader and planner, a CENTCOM spokesperson says."U.S. forces conducted a kinetic strike near Idlib, Syria, December 3, targeting a senior al-Qaeda leader and planner," CENTCOM spokesperson Captain Bill Urban told Fox News Digital in a statement. "The strike was conducted using a precision strike method from MQ-9 aircraft." Urban added that an "initial review of this strike indicates the potential for possible civilian casualties.""We abhor the loss of innocent life and take all possible measures to prevent them. The possibility of a civilian casualty was immediately self-reported to U.S. Central Command. We are initiating a full investigation of the allegations and will release the results when appropriate," Urban added. CENTCOM says it will reveal the results...