Violence and Security

Al-Shabab Builds Islamist Spy Network in Somalia

May 29, 2019

Al-Shabab, the Islamist group committed to imposing sharia law in Somalia and across East Africa, has built a highly disciplined, ruthless, and robust spy network in Somali civil society.
Iraqi Courts Issue Death Penalty for IS French Nationals

May 29, 2019

The French government has objected to Iraqi courts meting out the death penalty to four French citizens convicted as foreign fighters in the Islamic State (IS) caliphate.
UK Raises Alarm About Regrouping of Islamist Extremists

May 29, 2019

British officials have warned that the release of Islamist extremists who have served prison sentences for terrorism convictions, including for the high-casualty London bombings perpetrated by jihadists in 2005, poses a renewed homegrown threat.
IS Can Use Policy Deficits to Regroup in Syria

May 29, 2019

Islamic State (IS) actors in Syria are taking advantage of policy deficits, especially weak local security, limited social cohesion programs to integrate youth, and lack of political accountability and inclusion, to regroup after the jihadists’ military defeat by US-led coalition forces.
UK Parliamentary Definition of Islamophobia Raises Rights Concerns

May 29, 2019

The UK All-Party Parliamentary Group’s definition of Islamophobia as an effort to develop legislation to prevent hate crimes against Muslims has provoked debate about the importance of prioritizing protections for the civil and political rights of individuals.
US Man Faces Prosecution for Exporting Equipment to Iran

May 29, 2019

The US Justice Department has indicted a New Hampshire man for federal crimes related to his export of US Defense Department (DoD) equipment to Iran, alleging that he purchased sensitive DoD materials for export to the Islamist regime in Iran via a Turkish front company.
Pakistani Islamist Video Claims Plot to Kill Christian Acquitted of Blasphemy

May 29, 2019

A Pakistani Islamist has posted a video message claiming to have arrived in Canada to murder Asia Bibi, a Pakistan Christian woman given asylum after acquittal on charges of blaspheming Islam’s Prophet Mohammed.
Militaries in Cameroon, Kenya Explore Development as Counter-terror Tool

May 29, 2019

The engineering corps from the militaries of Cameroon and Kenya are exploring how to use their capacity advantages for development projects as a tool for countering violent Islamist groups like Boko Haram and Al-Shabaab.
US Charges Kentucky Imam in Murder-for-Hire Plot

May 29, 2019

The US government has charged the chief cleric in the Islamic Center of Lexington, Kentucky, and two others with conspiring in a murder-for-hire plot, which included meetings at the Islamic Center and a discussion about the imam’s issuing of an Islamic legal decree (fatwa) to authorize the hit.
Muslim American Society Video Spurs Concerns

May 29, 2019

A video on the website of the Muslim American Society, a national, grassroots organization committed to “imparting knowledge about Islam” across the US, shows children discussing jihadi martyrdom and decapitation of enemies and has raised concerns about the group’s messaging and objectives within America and globally.