Violence and Security

IS Continues Kidnapping to Fund Resistance in Iraq

August 14, 2017

Iraqi parliamentary officials are reporting an escalation in the practice of civilian kidnappings by Islamic State (IS) militants, who are using ransom funds, some laundered through criminal networks, to finance resistance cells aimed at preventing the reconsolidation of Iraqi state control over territories captured from the IS caliphate.
Jihadis Continue Assaults to Weaken Pakistani State

August 14, 2017

Islamic State jihadis staged a lethal suicide attack against a Pakistani military truck, continuing the uptick in Islamist militant assaults aimed at crippling state institutions and legitimacy.
Switzerland Charges Imam with Incitement

August 14, 2017

Swiss authorities charged an imam with inciting violence in sermons calling for "non-praying Muslims" to be burned alive, a decision reflecting officials' growing concerns over signs of Islamist radicalization among the country's Muslim population.
Al-Qaeda Offshoot Bans Smoking in Idlib

August 14, 2017

Fighting to control parts of Syria still subordinate to Islamist extremist ideology, the Syrian al-Qaeda offshoot Hay'at Tahrir a-Sham has announced a smoking ban as part of its ongoing social-control mechanisms justified by sharia law.
ECJ Approves Hamas Terror Designation

August 11, 2017

The underlying facts of the Court of Justice of the EU's (ECJ) decision to continue the designation of Hamas as a terrorist organization reveal both the group's funding support from the Islamic theocracy of Iran and its cooperation with Islamic State (IS) militants in the Egyptian Sinai for purposes of global jihad.
Experts Call for Economic Development to Secure Post-Islamist Syria

August 11, 2017

US security experts are arguing for the swift, sizable commitment of funds by Western powers for the reconstruction and economic development of Syria as a smart diplomatic move to minimize the chance of Islamist extremist resurgence after the military defeat of the Islamic State.
IS Used eBay, PayPal to Fund Possible US Terror Ops

August 11, 2017

Unsealed FBI legal documents reveal that a US Islamic State (IS) suspect was part of a robust global finance scheme using eBay and PayPal to channel funds for possible Islamist terror operations inside America.
Al-Aqsa Crisis Leads to Consolidation of Islamic Leadership

August 10, 2017

A significant unintended consequence of the Israeli authorities' moves to upgrade security measures at the al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem has been the consolidation of a coalition of the city's Islamic religious leadership.
France Apprehends Suspect in Paris Attack on Soldiers

August 10, 2017

French security officials have apprehended the main suspect in this week's car attack on French police patrolling Paris, as public tensions have spiked due to the possibility that the assault may be another episode in the use of vehicles by Islamist militants to perpetrate local incidents of jihad.
Security Experts Look to Cults for Clues on Islamist Extremism

August 10, 2017

US and UK security experts are analyzing the ideology, leadership, and institutional dynamics of historical cults to understand the similarities with contemporary Islamist extremist movements and to develop effective measures to counter the psychological and material tactics of jihadi radicalization and recruitment.