Violence and Security

IS Video Calls for Holiday Attacks in Somalia

December 28, 2017

Islamic State (IS) affiliates in Somalia inaugurated their online propaganda presence with a new video exhorting the group's followers to attack civilians at "nightclubs, churches, and markets" during Christmas and New Year's celebrations, signaling the expansion of jihadist activity in the Horn of Africa.
Pakistan Extremists Bolster IS Resilience in Afghanistan

December 28, 2017

The stubborn resilience of the Islamic State (IS) branch in Afghanistan against strong military pressure by US and Afghan government forces, and opposition from competing jihadis of the Taliban, reveal the strong imprint of operational and intelligence support from neighboring state and non-state Islamists in Pakistan.
Jihadists Threaten New Christian Pilgrimage Route

December 28, 2017

The systematic targeting of Coptic Orthodox Christians in Egypt by the Islamic State (IS) and other jihadist groups is raising concerns among Egyptian security and interior ministry authorities that a newly established Christian pilgrimage route faces threats from IS affiliates to both Egyptian Copts and foreign Christian pilgrims.
Jihadists Experiment with Cryptocurrencies

December 28, 2017

Growing evidence that Salafists and other jihadist networks are experimenting with bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies to raise funds for a diverse range of militant Islamist activities indicates the adaptability of global Islamist networks aiming to avoid security and financial regulatory frameworks that are designed to combat violent extremism.
IS Money Launderer Entered US Using Family Visa Program

December 28, 2017

The US Department of Homeland Security has revealed that the federal program for family-based immigration was the gateway for entry to America by the Pakistan-born woman now accused of using cryptocurrency bitcoin to launder money supporting jihad by the Islamic State (IS).
US Arrests Former Marine for Planned Christmas Attack

December 27, 2017

US authorities have arrested an Islamic State supporter and former US Marine who converted to Islam on charges of planning a Christmas Day attack in San Francisco as vengeance for the Trump Administration’s policy of moving the American Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
Iran, Saudi Arabia Use Jerusalem as Tool in Religious Geopolitics

December 22, 2017

The responses to the US decision on Jerusalem's status as the capital of Israel from Iran and Saudi Arabia show a cynical instrumentalization of the Jerusalem issue by the Mideast's two Islamist theocracies, in accordance with their respective Shiite versus Sunni geopolitics of regional hegemony and global jihad.
Suicide Bombings Have Expanded as Weapon of Choice of Salafi-Jihadis

December 22, 2017

The steady expansion of suicide bombings as a weapon of choice by Salafi-jihadi groups around the world reflects the high-casualty impact of a "low-cost" weapon, as well as the expansion and weaponization of the Islamist ideological concept of martyrdom.
Iran's Focus on Footprint in Syria Creates Threats for Israel

December 22, 2017

Israel's security leaders view the sustained efforts of the leadership of the Islamic Republic of Iran to establish a land corridor through Syria to the Mediterranean as a growing strategic threat in the form of a militarized Shiite arc bent on jihad against Israel.
US Official Warns of Radical Islamist Sponsorship by Qatar, Turkey

December 22, 2017

US National Security Advisor General H.R. McMaster identified Qatar and Turkey as the main supporters of internationalized radical Islamist ideology, warning that their support for Islamist extremism constitutes a threat to America's vital national security interest.