Eye on Extremism, September 7, 2016
Counter Extremism Project
The Verge: Automated Systems Fight ISIS Propaganda, But At What Cost?
“The spread of ISIS propaganda online has put social media companies in a tough position. Governments are urging Facebook, Twitter, and Google to more aggressively remove extremist content, in the hopes of reducing the terrorist group’s influence. But the companies’ self-moderation systems have struggled to keep pace, and terrorist material continues to spread online. The algorithm, called eGLYPH, was announced in June by the Counter Extremism Project (CEP), a New York-based nonprofit organization that tracks extremist groups. eGLYPH uses so-called “hashing” technology to assign a unique fingerprint to images, videos, and audio that have already been flagged as extremist, and automatically removes any versions that have been uploaded to a social network. It will also automatically delete other versions as soon as users attempt to upload them.”
BBC: Syria Conflict: Government Helicopters 'Drop Chlorine' On Aleppo
“Syrian government forces have been accused of dropping barrel bombs containing chlorine from helicopters on a suburb of Aleppo, injuring 80 people. Volunteer emergency workers say people suffered breathing difficulties after an attack on the Sukari area. The reports could not be independently verified. A UN-led investigation in August found the government had used chlorine on at least two occasions. The Syrian government has always denied using chemical weapons. It comes as Syrian opposition leaders prepare to meet in London on Wednesday to launch a new plan for a political transition to try to end the conflict.”
BBC: Iraq IS Conflict: Car Bombing Targets Baghdad Shoppers
“A car bomb attack claimed by so-called Islamic State (IS) has killed at least nine people in the centre of the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, officials say. An explosives-laden pick-up truck exploded shortly before midnight (21:00 GMT) in the predominantly Shia Muslim commercial district of Karrada. Twenty people were also injured by the blast, which set several shops on fire. The blast was not far from the site of a lorry bombing in July that left more than 300 people dead. An IS statement said the Sunni jihadist group had targeted a gathering of Shia civilians on Monday and boasted how it had managed to carry out the attack despite heightened security in the area.”
CNN: Britain's 'Most Hated Man,' Anjem Choudary, Jailed For ISIS Support
“Notorious hate preacher Anjem Choudary, who led a flag-burning demonstration outside the US embassy on the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks and voiced support for jihad, has been jailed for inviting support for ISIS. The former lawyer was sentenced to five years and six months in prison. His supporters shouted ‘Allahu Akhbar’ as he was led away from the dock in London's Old Bailey court. Choudary's co-defendant Mohammad Mizanur Rahman, 33, was also handed a sentence of five years and six months. Choudary has courted controversy over two decades, skirting the edges of the law, backing extremism but with no proof of actually inciting violence. He earned the wrath of Britain's tabloid newspapers, making him - by his own admission -- the country's ‘most hated man.’ In 2014, he pledged allegiance to ISIS and its leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, bringing him under scrutiny and leading to his arrest.”
International Business Times: ISIS Bans Burqas: Islamic State Deems Hijab A Security Problem In Iraq
“The Islamic State group has reportedly banned women from wearing a burka, a veil that covers the entire face, as a security precaution in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul. The alleged new rule is striking in part because the militant group also known as ISIS has beaten and killed women in the past for refusing to wear the conservative garment. Militant leaders banned burqas after a group of veiled women carried out attacks against several ISIS commanders, according to media reports Tuesday. Women wearing burqas will no longer be allowed to enter buildings in Mosul, an ISIS stronghold, while wearing the full-body covering. Instead, they must wear gloves and gauze to cover their eyes. ISIS' morality police will continue to require women to wear the burqa outside of Mosul's new security rule, the Jerusalem Post reported.”
Voice Of America: Jihadist Terror, Refugee Issue Likely To Shape Upcoming Europe Polls
“Just as Islamic State is pushed on its back-foot in Syria and Iraq, the jihadist terror threat is set to become a key factor in a series of national and regional elections across Europe. Some fear that in a feverish pre-election atmosphere in Austria, France, Germany and the Netherlands politicians chasing populist votes risk assisting, if inadvertently, jihadist propagandists and recruiters by depicting Islam as a menace to national identity. Across Europe there is a resurgence of identity politics as fears mount over Islam and terrorism and debates sharpen about what balance should be struck between security and liberty.”
Reuters: Afghan Forces End Siege After Suicide Attacks In Kabul
“Afghan security forces ended an 11-hour standoff in central Kabul on Tuesday, shooting dead the last of a group of attackers who struck hours after a separate suicide bombing killed and wounded dozens of security personnel and civilians. The episode began on Monday afternoon with a twin suicide bombing in a busy area of the capital near the Defence Ministry that killed 35 people, including several senior security officers, and wounded 103. The attack was claimed by the Taliban and was followed a few hours later by a car bomb in Share Naw, a business and residential area of the city close to the government and embassy district, which the insurgent group also claimed.”
The Jerusalem Post: IDF Under Fire From Gaza Overnight
“The IDF reported on Monday night that forces patrolling near the border fence between Israel and the northern region of the Gaza Strip came under fire from over the border, reporting no injuries were sustained in the incident. The statement said that the IDF returned fire towards two positions known to be operated by the terror organization Hamas, which controls the territory. This is the second such incident in recent days. On Saturday night, Palestinians opened fire at an IDF force also on a routine patrol near the security fence between Israel and the northern Gaza Strip. There were no casualties from the attack, and the soldiers likewise returned fire on a known Hamas position. Furthermore, on Sunday, the IDF targeted artillery launchers in Syria in response to earlier Syrian mortar fire. The Syrian mortar shell had exploded a few hours earlier near al-Foran in the central Golan Heights.”
RT: ISIS Upping Efforts To Smuggle Terrorists Into Britain - Reports
“Islamic State is increasing its efforts to smuggle terrorists into Britain to launch attacks on civilians, according to new intelligence gathered following last year’s Paris massacre. The 900,000 pages of intelligence from European investigations into the November attacks, in which 130 people were killed, has reportedly revealed the scale of the slaughter could have been much worse. The new documents leaked to the media say two other would-be attackers – Algerian Adel Haddadi and Pakistani Muhammad Usman – also intended to strike France. The pair were given fake Syrian passports and smuggled into Europe using the same route refugees have been taking, according to the documents. They were only stopped when Greek authorities found they were using fake passports. The Mirror reports the delay meant they could not take part in the Paris attacks.”
Washington Post: 10 New Wars That Could Be Unleashed As A Result Of The One Against ISIS
“The borders of the Islamic State's "caliphate" are shrinking fast. The group’s strongholds in Iraq and Syria are collapsing one by one. The U.S.-led war has reached a point where questions are being raised about what comes next. So far, the answer seems likely to be: more war. That’s partly because the U.S. strategy for defeating the Islamic State relies on a variety of regional allies and local armed groups who are often bitterly at odds. Though all of them regard the Islamic State as an enemy, most of them regard one another as enemies, too. As they conquer territory from the militants, they are staking out claims to the captured lands in ways that risk bringing them into conflict with others who are also seizing territory. New wars are brewing, for control of the post-Islamic State order.”
NBC News: German Military, Police To Team Up Amid Fears Of ISIS Attack
“Germany is preparing to train troops to be deployed within its borders for the first time since World War II amid fears of terrorist attacks. The country's armed forces will hold joint drills with police early next year, officials confirmed. Authorities stress that counterterrorism measures will primarily remain the responsibility of police. However, the potential for large-scale attacks have made the use of German military assets "conceivable, even probable," according to Lt. Gen. Martin Schelleis, the Bundeswehr's chief of joint support services.”
Reuters: Tunisia Fears Jihadists Returning Home From Libya, Seeks Joint Action
“North African countries should be cooperating more to stop Islamic State fighters who are fleeing their Libyan stronghold of Sirte from returning to their homelands and causing trouble there, Tunisia's defense minister said on Tuesday. Libyan forces aligned with the U.N.-backed government in Tripoli launched their campaign to recapture Sirte in May and are advancing on the last areas under its control. But Tunisia, which estimates that about 4,000 of its nationals left to fight for jihadists groups, is concerned that many are returning to the country and could turn their focus on home soil.”
“Australia became the latest target of Islamic State group violence this week after the extremist organization encouraged its followers to launch attacks on a number of famous sites there. The first edition of the new ISIS magazine Rumiyah, published Monday encouraged lone wolf supporters to stab, poison and otherwise murder nonbelievers, the Sydney Morning Herald reported. The call for attacks was inspired by the death of Ezzit Raad, an Australian who spent more than four years in jail after planning a blast unrelated to ISIS in 2005. Raad, who later became an ISIS recruiter, was recently killed in Syria, the Guardian reported. The magazine suggested ISIS members focus these assaults on prominent public places, including the Melbourne Cricket Ground, the Sydney Opera House and Bondi Beach, the Daily Telegraph reported. But authorities urged residents not to panic Tuesday as the news spread.”
PBS News Hour: Can The High-Tech Hunt For Terrorists Stop Lone Wolf Attacks?
“This coming weekend marks 15 years since the 9/11 attacks. We will spend time in the coming days showing how the U.S. is pursuing its campaign against terrorism, also the state of the war in Afghanistan and the lives of its people. National Counterterrorism Center: On a 24/7 basis, we have officers here working in shifts who are consuming, reading, analyzing, and assessing every bit of available information that there is to try to figure out what terrorist threats are aimed at the United States. The nature of the work here has changed dramatically in recent years. More lone wolves, fewer face-to-face meetings and phone calls, the Internet as a source of inspiration and planning. Increasingly, what connecting the dots means to me is dealing with the huge, huge volume of publicly available or open source or unclassified information that’s out there that may have terrorism relevance.”
United States
Reuters: U.S. Strikes In Yemen Kill 13 Al Qaeda Operatives: U.S. Military
“The United States killed 13 al Qaeda operatives in three counterterrorism strikes in Yemen from Aug. 24 to Sept. 4, the U.S. military said on Tuesday. All three of the strikes against the al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula targets were conducted in central Yemen's Shabwah Governorate, U.S. Central Command said in a statement. It did not specify how the strikes were carried out or the identities of those killed.”
Reuters: U.S. Sees Progress In Syria Talks With Russia, Expects Meeting Soon
“The United States said on Tuesday it was making progress with Russia on how to achieve a cessation of hostilities in Syria and held out the possibility a nationwide ceasefire need not begin immediately. The United States had hoped over the weekend to announce an agreement to halt the fighting in the 5-1/2-year-old Syrian civil war but failed to strike an agreement with Russia. The two powers support opposite sides in the conflict, with Moscow using its military to back Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, and Washington taking the position that Assad must go and supporting some opposition groups seeking to oust him.”
Syria
BBC: IS Rocket Attack Kills Turkish Soldiers In Syria
“Two Turkish soldiers have been killed by the Islamic State (IS) group in clashes in northern Syria, the Turkish army has said. Another five soldiers were wounded in a rocket attack on Turkish tanks, the military said in a statement. The fatalities are believed to be the first since Turkey launched its operation inside Syria two weeks ago. Two fighters from the Free Syrian Army were also killed and another two injured in the attack. The rocket attack was launched near the village of al-Waqf, it added. Syrian rebels backed by Turkey say they have recaptured a number of villages from IS since the Turkish operation - code-named Euphrates Shield - began.”
CNN: Children Left Gasping For Air After Suspected Gas Attack In Aleppo
“More than 80 people were suffering severe breathing difficulties in Syria's embattled city of Aleppo after another chemical attack Tuesday on a rebel-held neighborhood, said the Syrian Civil Defense, a volunteer rescue group. The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights also reported the attack, saying that medical sources accused regime warplanes of pounding the Sukkari neighborhood with barrel bombs ‘laden with poison gas.’ Harrowing footage distributed by the Syrian Civil Defense -- also known as the White Helmets -- shows small children and other victims being rushed to the makeshift Basel Aslan hospital in the arms of rescuers, gasping desperately for air as they are given oxygen masks.”
Turkey
Reuters: Turkey's Government Says Under Popular Pressure To Drop EU Talks
“Turkey's government is under ‘huge pressure’ from its people to abandon its decades-old drive to join the European Union because they see it applying double standards toward their country, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Tuesday. Speaking at a forum in the Slovene mountain resort of Bled, Cavusoglu also warned that Europe could be heading toward instability and could succumb to extremism due to the strains of its twin economic and migration crises. Cavusoglu also repeated his previous criticism of EU leaders for not showing sufficient solidarity with Turkey after a botched military coup in July in which President Tayyip Erdogan narrowly avoided capture and possible death.”
Reuters: Turkey Working With Council Of Europe On Post-Coup Prosecutions
“A delegation from Turkey's justice ministry has met with the Council of Europe to review European human rights standards and conventions as Ankara prepares to prosecute those it holds responsible for a failed July 15 coup, the head of the CoE said. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu will also meet with other ministers from the 47-nation rights body in Strasbourg, France, on Wednesday, Thorbjorn Jagland, general secretary of the CoE, told Reuters on Tuesday on the sidelines of a conference hosted by the German foreign ministry. Turkey's discussions with the CoE come amid efforts by European leaders to ease tensions that flared after the coup and loud criticism by several European Union leaders of President Tayyip Erdogan's post-coup crackdown.”
Reuters: With Syria 'Safe Zone' Plan, Turkey Faces Diplomatic Balancing Act
“Turkey will have to strike a balance between the conflicting goals of Russia and the United States if it is to achieve its ambition of a ‘safe zone’ in northern Syria and build on an incursion which gave it control of a thin strip of the border. Turkey has for several years called for world powers to help create a zone to protect civilians in its war-torn southern neighbor, with the dual aim of clearing its border of Islamic State and Kurdish militia fighters and of stemming a wave of migration that has caused tensions with Europe. Western allies have so far balked at the idea, saying it would require a significant ground force and planes to patrol a ‘no-fly zone’, a major commitment in such a crowded and messy battlefield. Russia, which backs Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, has meanwhile argued in the past that any foreign incursion would be illegal.”
Afghanistan
Voice Of America: Afghan Forces Kill 3 Gunmen In Deadly Siege
“Afghan security forces killed all three gunmen to end an hours-long overnight militant siege in central Kabul that left six people wounded, interior Ministry spokesman Sediq Seddiqi announced Tuesday. He said 42 people, including 10 foreigners, were rescued unhurt from a residential compound linked to the CARE International charity in the Shar-e-Naw area of the capital city. The attack began with a massive car bombing followed by gunfire late on Monday night, Seddiqi explained, adding Afghan Special Forces quickly surrounded the area and engaged the gunmen.”
Egypt
“Egypt has built 13 new prisons following the military coup of former Islamist President Mohammed Morsi in June 2013, according to a report by Egyptian rights group Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI). The ‘increase in the number of prisons means a rise in the deprivation of freedom’ in Egypt, ANHRI reports. Before the 2011 revolution that ousted longtime president Hosni Mubarak, Egypt only had a total of 43 prisons. Now there are 504 detention centers to house refugees and political prisoners, including jails and stations. The increase in prisons also comes with a new establishment of prison facility types. The first type is where men are expected to complete their sentences at Abu Zaabal, Tora, Borg Al-Arab, Gamasa, and Minya Penitentiary.”
Middle East
The Jerusalem Post: 'Hezbollah, Syrian Army Preparing Large Operation Near Israel Border'
“Iranian media reports that its proxy Hezbollah has already deployed a large contingency of fighters in the Quneitra area, located between Syria and Israel's Golan Heights. Troops loyal to the Syrian regime along with Hezbollah fighters have allegedly been finalizing plans to launch a large-scale operation against Syrian opposition forces near the border with Israel, according to Iranian media. ‘The Syrian army and Hezbollah fighters have been working on a joint plan to end militancy in Southern Syria, particularly near the Golan Heights,’ Iran's Fars news agency quoted unnamed military sources as saying Monday.”
Israel Today: Israel Wants More Muslim Cops
“The Israel Police have been running a determined campaign to recruit more Muslim Arab officers. Officials previously stated their intention of adding hundreds of additional Muslim Arab officers to the force over the next five years. Currently, Muslim Arabs make up less than 2 percent of the police force in Israel. Efforts to increase Muslim Arab participation in public service and safety are vociferously opposed by Muslim Arab Members of Knesset, who, ironically, accuse Israel of being racist. But the campaign seems to be working. There has been a nearly 300 percent increase in the number of resumes submitted by Muslims wanting to join the police this year.”
The Jerusalem Post: Palestinian Authority 'Probably' Pays Terrorist Families, Admits German Gov't
“Germany’s Foreign Ministry told the head of the German- Israel parliamentary group that the Palestinian Authority likely uses funds to pay terrorists and their family members, according to a September 1 letter. The acknowledgment by the German government is believed to be the first Federal Republic public statement that the PA aids terrorists and their families. Volker Beck, the German Green MP who secured the response in the September letter, said on Monday it is ‘good that the lack of willingness on the part of the federal government to know has now ended.’”
Nigeria
Newsweek: Nigerian Military Denies 'Arrest' Of Boko Haram-Linked Reporter
“A Nigerian journalist accused of having information about the whereabouts of the Chibok girls abducted by Boko Haram has been arrested according to multiple reports, though the Nigerian military has denied the claims. Ahmad Salkida was declared wanted in August by the Nigerian military, along with two other persons, after Boko Haram released a video purporting to show scores of the girls, who were abducted from their school in Chibok, northeast Nigeria, in April 2014. Salkida was one of the first journalists to circulate the video on social media. Salkida was arrested upon arrival in the Nigerian capital Abuja on Monday, according to New York-based news site Sahara Reporters.”
Associated Press: Refugees From Boko Haram Return Home, Excited But Fearful
“Excited but fearful, refugees from Boko Haram piled into yellow school buses with their bundles of belongings, returning after two years to homes that have been torched, wells destroyed, livestock looted and fields that still may not be safe from the Islamic insurgents. On Monday, the largest group yet of such refugees, nearly 2,000, was transported to villages and the town of Konduga. Though they are just 35 kilometers (22 miles) from Maiduguri, northeast Nigeria's biggest city, they are also on the fringes of the Sambisa Forest where the Islamic extremists still have strongholds. How this group of returnees survives, and whether the military can protect them, could influence other refugees whom the government is keen to resettle.”
United Kingdom
BBC: NI Terrorism: Police Find Explosives In Larne
“Searches in County Antrim have turned up a ‘significant amount of terrorist material’ including explosive devices and bomb-making components, police say. Police also found chemicals, ammunition and a gun across 12 separate locations in Larne in a joint operation between the PSNI and the Metropolitan Police. The searches follow the arrest of Royal Marine Ciarán Maxwell in connection with alleged dissident republicanism. Mr Maxwell is accused of terror, fraud and drug offences. The 30-year-old, originally from Larne, has denied the fraud and drug offences. He has not yet been asked to enter a plea in relation to the terror charge. He will appear again in court on 19 September in relation to all charges.”
Germany
Deutsche Welle: Big German Terror Trials
“Sven Lau is infamous in Germany for an Islamist publicity stunt. Lau and his followers acted like state authorities and warned people visiting local clubs and bars to adhere to Sharia, or Islamic law. Now a trial against Lau is underway at a regional court in Düsseldorf. He is accused of recruiting young men for the Islamist organization Jamwa (roughly ‘army of emigrants and helpers’) and urging them to fight infidels in Syria. When these fighters return to Germany, they are considered a high security risk because they've been trained with weapons and potentially radicalized even further. Since 2012, Germany has seen a large number of court cases brought against Islamists who traveled to countries like Syria and Iraq or supported terrorist organizations like the ‘Islamic State’ (IS) in other ways. Several of them ended with prison sentences for the defendants, but a couple of trials have been going on for months or even years - with no end in sight.”
France
The Wall Street Journal: France Investigates If Inmate Stabbing Of Prison Guards Was Act Of Terror
“French prosecutors are investigating if the recent stabbing of two prison guards by an inmate was an act of terror, a spokeswoman for prosecutors said Tuesday, heightening scrutiny of France’s recent efforts to segregate prisoners deemed radical. A 24-year-old man investigators identified as Bilal T. assaulted two prison guards with a makeshift knife on Sunday, severely wounding one of them, according to authorities. Prosecutors are investigating Bilal T. on suspicion he may have planned the attack as a terrorist assault with the help of others inside and outside of the prison, the prosecutors’ spokeswoman said. The assault casts a spotlight on France’s nascent efforts to stop the spread of radicalism within prison walls by separating radicalized prisoners from other inmates they might influence.”
Reuters: France Deploys Artillery, Readies Carrier Ahead Of Mosul Offensive
“France said on Tuesday it was deploying artillery to Iraq and readying its aircraft carrier for deployment to reinforce foreign military support for the Iraqi army's expected push to recapture Mosul, the de facto capital of Islamic State in Iraq. The Iraqi army and its elite units have gradually taken up positions around the city 400 km (248 miles) north of Baghdad, with international coalition forces keen to capitalize on the militant group's loss of territory in both Iraq and Syria. French defense officials declined to give details on the nature of the artillery. It was from Mosul's Grand Mosque in 2014 that Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdad declared a caliphate spanning regions of Iraq and Syria.”
Reuters: France Sees Sharp Fall In Number Of Citizens Joining Islamic State
“The number of French citizens traveling to join Islamic State in 2016 has dropped drastically from last year, Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said on Tuesday, putting the fall down to military reverses suffered by the militant group. With Europe's largest Muslim population, France has been a major center for recruitment of would-be jihadis joining Islamic State, with hundreds of people traveling to the region since the group took control of large swathes of Iraq and Syria. Speaking to security agents at the ministry, Cazeneuve said there had been a ‘fourfold decrease’ with just 18 French people recorded traveling to the area in the first six months of the year compared with 69 in the corresponding period in 2015.”
Europe
“Across Europe, security services are now planning on how to deal with thousands of Western jihadists who might return to the continent as the Islamic State (Isis) continues to lose its territory in Iraq and Syria. The return of the radicalised jihadists, who are armed and trained, will pose a grave threat to the security of the continent in the near future, according to an Independent report. Security authorities say they are a ‘ticking time bomb’ and added that more co-ordinated efforts and policies are required to face the imminent crisis, the report said. At least 27,000 foreign fighters have reportedly joined the terrorist group, with around 5,000 to 7,000 arriving from Europe. Around 800 people from Britain have reportedly joined the group.”
Voice Of America: G-20 Aims To Crack Down On Terror Financing
“World leaders gathered this week at the Group of 20 summit in Hangzhou, China, have set a six-month deadline on formulating a strategy to stop the flow of money that finances terrorist activities. Prompted by recent attacks in Europe, the delegates representing the world's biggest economies agreed to develop a new Consolidated Strategy of Combating Terrorist Financing by March 2017. A joint statement released by the group called for methods to crack down on the financial gains that groups earn through activities such as extortion, taxation, smuggling natural resources, looting cultural property, kidnapping for ransom and raising money through donations abroad.”
Combating the financing of terrorism
“According to a study published on Monday, over the past four years more than a third of Arab banks have witnessed a decline in their working relations with foreign banks. This trend is a result of mounting pressures including economic sanctions and concerns over money laundering. The Arab Monetary Fund wrote in its study that "the lack of ability of banks in some Arab countries to establish correspondent banking relations with foreign banks has had a detrimental effect on trade, money transfers and ultimately on real economic activity.”
Alakhbar: Mauritania Adopts A Package Of Laws Against Terrorist Financing
“Assistant Governor of the Central Bank of Mauritania, Sheikh Ould Moulay Al-Tahir, said that the Central Bank of Mauritania has made significant efforts in combating money laundering and terrorist financing. This was done through the development of integrated and efficient regulations regarding these crimes. These include the duty to maximize vigilance, verify the customer's identity, and adopt an authentication system, in addition to date and information saving mechanisms. Al-Tahir noted, in a statement on Monday, that Mauritania has been working, also, in this context on the adoption of a package of laws on the matter.”
ISIS
Alwasat: Libya: ISIS Provides Its Militants With Marriage Expenses
“On Tuesday night, the Media Center of the "Al-Bunyan al-Marsus" Operation published new images of financial documents belonging to ISIS in the Libyan city of Sirte. These documents indicate that the organization awarded its militants endowments for 'captive women' and expenses for marriage. The media center, via its Facebook page, published documents, mainly those indicating the delivery of funds by the financial department of ISIS which is known as the "Finance House". It added that "the strangest funding documents are those related to abducted women." It claimed that "one of the documents shows that 'Abu Saad al-Sudani' received 300 dinars ($216) while holding three women captive.”
Muslim Brotherhood
Sada El-Balad: Egypt: Detention Of The Main Financier Of Muslim Brotherhood In Al Buhayrah
“Members of the Criminal Investigation Directorate of the Security Service of Al Buhayrah, headed by Major General Mohammed Khrisah, in coordination with Al Buhayrah's National Security Branch, detained a Muslim Brotherhood suspect during a security operation. He was wanted in connection to investigations in cases being handled by the Public Prosecution. The detainee, identified as "Ahmed A.", is a suspected Muslim Brotherhood leader and the main financier of the group in Al Buhayrah. Previously, he was convicted in four cases of violence and demonstrations, but managed to evade serving a life sentence. Now he is charged with 15 cases of murder, carrying automatic weapons, financing terrorist groups and incitement to murder and violence.”
Veto: Expert: Muslim Brotherhood Group Does Not Believe In Change To Preserve Sources Of Funding
“Hisham al-Najjar, a researcher on Islamic movements, commented on recent statements by Hamza Zobaa, a senior Muslim Brotherhood leader. Zobaa was quoted as saying: "The Muslim Brotherhood has recently experienced some 'bad ideas' due to its inability to change. The current leaders want to maintain their grip inside the organization and do not believe in the notion of change, or partnership. Moreover, some of the group's leaders believe that change is a major conspiracy." Now, Al-Najjar claims that this kind of thought is a result of a crisis of interests {inside the Brotherhood} aimed at preserving influence and funding sources. "Thus, as long as the leadership attempts to remain the same, secure its survival and maintain the status quo, they will not admit mistakes and will not seek to lead the group towards change and reform, which require self-criticism. This is exactly what the leaders are so keen to avoid. They want to remain without accountability. They do not want to be accused of vulnerability. Therefore, the group is hit by stagnation and is making no progress.”
“Anisa Essam Hassouna, a member of the Foreign Relations Committee of the Egyptian Parliament, demanded formulating legislation granting the state the authority and legitimacy to oppose Muslim Brotherhood media channels, which "tarnish the image of the Egyptian state." Hassouna asserted that it is essential to know the identities of the financiers and managers of these channels, which belong to the banned group. She urged the state and the empowered authorities to take decisions against these channels, because they are threatening the social peace and national security of Egypt.”