Religious/Extremist Terrorism: Non-Muslim edition

[OldSolduer]

I think society is ready for it again. Extreme cage fighting is so tame.

op:

Maybe some witch trials too??

 

[FJAG]

Maybe some witch trials too??

No. No! That could get you in trouble in so many ways.

op:

 

[The Bread Guy]

A few highlights from NJ Homeland Security ...

... Pandemic in NJ Brings Charges in Threat Against Religious Community, Summonses for Gatherings

The coronavirus pandemic in New Jersey has led to charges against a man accused of threatening the Orthodox Jewish community in Lakewood (Ocean County), where police have also issued summonses to some members of the community for violating the State’s ban on public gatherings. Anthony Lodespoto (pictured), 43, of Howell (Monmouth County), was arrested on March 27 after Lakewood police learned of an online “bias terroristic threat” from the New Jersey State Police. The Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office said Lodespoto threatened “to travel to Lakewood with the purpose of assaulting members of the Jewish community with a baseball bat.” State Police told Lakewood Police that Lodespoto sent a similar message to Governor Phil Murphy’s Facebook account, said Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer and Lakewood Police Chief Gregory Meyer. The threats came after police broke up Orthodox gatherings that included a bar mitzvah, an engagement party, and an adult religious school. On April 1, police issued summonses to 15 people and dispersed a funeral in Lakewood that attracted 60-70 people to a street corner near a temple and cemetery, authorities said.

Terror Squad Examines Why Engineer Derailed Train in Bid to Ram Navy Hospital Ship

The FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force is investigating what prompted a train engineer to purposely run his train off the tracks on March 31 in an attempt to ram a Navy hospital ship sent to the Port of Los Angeles to relieve hospitals straining from an influx of coronavirus patients, federal prosecutors said. Eduardo Moreno, 44, admitted derailing the train, which slammed through a steel barrier, a chain-link fence, a parking lot, a lot filled with gravel, and a second chain-link fence before coming to rest 250 yards from the USNS Mercy, prosecutors said. Moreno told police, “You only get this chance once. The whole world is watching. I had to. People don’t know what’s going on here. Now they will.” Moreno, of nearby San Pedro, California, told investigators he was “suspicious” of the ship and believed it “had an alternate purpose related to COVID-19 or a government takeover.” Moreno faces one count of train wrecking, which carries up to 20 years in federal prison.

Analysis Finds White Supremacist Hospital Bomb Plotter Also Looked at Power Grid, Schools

An analysis of a white supremacist bomb plot against a Missouri hospital coping with the coronavirus pandemic revealed the suspect also discussed using balloons to attack electricity infrastructure and shooting up schools in minority neighborhoods. According to a bulletin from the FBI and US Department of Homeland Security issued on March 30, Timothy Wilson’s plot reflects a trend among white supremacists who are “seeking to maximize their audience and the dissemination of their message” and illustrates the persistent threat posed by racially or ethnically motivated violent extremists (RMVEs) and the “potential for world events to influence the timing and location of an attack.” Wilson, 36, of Missouri, died in a shootout with the FBI on March 24 when he was taking delivery of what he thought was an improvised explosive device from an undercover agent. The bulletin said Wilson came under investigation in September, when the FBI arrested Jarrett William Smith, a soldier at Fort Riley in Kansas. He and Wilson talked about how to make explosive devices, authorities said. Smith pleaded guilty in February to distributing bomb-making instructions and will be sentenced in May. ...

PDF also attached in case link doesn't work for you.

 

[OceanBonfire]

Neo-Nazi ‘commander’ unmasked as 13-year-old kid in Estonia

Online, he was known as HeilHitler8814, the so-called “commander” of a neo-Nazi group with plans to bomb CNN and attack a U.S. synagogue in hopes of starting a race war.

In real life, he was a 13-year-old keyboard warrior flirting with racism and terrorism from his parents’ home in Estonia, according to officials and reports from the tiny eastern European country.

The Estonian Internal Security Service (EISS) says it struck a damaging blow to an international hate group called the Feuerkrieg Division earlier this year when it showed up at the kid’s house and told his parents what he’d been up to.

Authorities couldn’t charge the boy because he was too young, but they worked with his parents to get him to “suspend” his activities with the hate group, according to Harrys Puusepp, a spokesperson for the EISS.


https://globalnews.ca/news/6831754/neo-nazi-commander-13/

 

[OceanBonfire]

Facebook removes accounts linked to QAnon conspiracy theory

Facebook says it has removed several groups, accounts and pages linked to QAnon, taking action for the first time against the far-right U.S. conspiracy theory circulated among supporters of President Donald Trump.

The social-media giant made the announcement Tuesday as part of its monthly briefing on “coordinated inauthentic behavior” on its platforms. That’s Facebook’s term for fake accounts run with the intent of disrupting politics elections and society.

In addition to the QAnon accounts, Facebook also removed accounts linked to VDARE, a U.S. website known for posting anti-immigration content, as well as accounts in Russia, Iran, Mauritania, Myanmar and the country of Georgia.

QAnon is a right-wing conspiracy theory centered on the baseless belief that Trump is waging a secret campaign against enemies in the “deep state” and a child sex trafficking ring run by satanic pedophiles and cannibals. For more than two years, followers have pored over a tangled set of clues purportedly posted online by a high-ranking government official known only as “Q.”

The conspiracy theory first emerged in a dark corner of the internet but has been creeping into the mainstream political arena. Trump has retweeted QAnon-promoting accounts and its followers flock to the president’s rallies wearing clothes and hats with QAnon symbols and slogans.

Facebook says it found the QAnon activity as part of its investigations into suspected coordinated inauthentic behavior ahead of the 2020 presidential election.

“We are making progress rooting out this abuse, but as we’ve said before, it’s an ongoing effort,” the company said in its April report on coordinated activity. “That means building better technology, hiring more people and working more closely with law enforcement, security experts and other companies.”

...


https://apnews.com/0fdbc9ae690c64c0e3e9d26f9d93aab0

 

[OceanBonfire]

Deadly attack at Toronto erotic spa was incel terrorism, police allege

A deadly attack at a Toronto erotic massage parlour three months ago is now being treated as an act of terrorism after police allegedly uncovered evidence it was inspired by misogynist incel ideology.

Charges against the suspect accused of carrying out the Feb. 24 stabbing attack, which killed a woman and injured another, were updated in court on Tuesday to “murder - terrorist activity.”

The suspect, who cannot be named because he is a minor, was already facing first-degree and attempted murder charges, but the development means police believe the incident was terrorism-related.

Global News has learned police are alleging the attack was inspired by the incel movement made up of men unable to attract sexual partners who promote violence against women on internet forums.

Experts said it was the first time a terrorism charge had been laid over violence tied to incels, a term that refers to self-described “involuntary celibates.”

It is also believed to be the first time Canada’s anti-terrorism laws have been used to prosecute an act of violence by a suspect who was not an Islamist extremist.

...


https://globalnews.ca/news/6910670/toronto-spa-terrorism-incel/

 

[PuckChaser]

If they're using terrorism laws to prosecute "Incels", "Antifa" better be next.

 

[OceanBonfire]

Threat of ‘incel’ terrorism continues to grow, attract younger followers: experts

Two years after the Toronto van attack that killed 10, the misogynist incel subculture allegedly behind the mass killing is part of an evolving threat that intersects with far right extremism, according to experts.

Those who self-identify as incels number in the “tens of thousands” and are a major challenge for law enforcement, said Colin Clarke, a senior research fellow at the Soufan Center, a U.S. think-tank.

“Part of the challenge, is to wrap our heads around this, that it’s terrorism,” he said.

Governments should be dedicating more resources and expertise to help police and security officials track the incel movement the same way they analyze other terrorist networks, according to Clarke.

Clarke warns of a growing overlap between so-called incels and far-right extremism, like white supremacists, that is helping to indoctrinate young men online at an earlier age with a media diet of racist, misogynist and hateful propaganda.

He said the first six months of 2020 will be a “watershed” moment for these movements of angry young men as they are spending more time online amid lockdowns to fight the spread of the new coronavirus.

“More people than ever are online and more people than ever are accessing propaganda and white supremacist content,” he said. “We’re seeing kids as young as nine, 10, 11 years old that are engaging with white supremacists online. This is a huge concern.

...


https://globalnews.ca/news/6956735/incel-violence-far-right-extremism-expert/

 

[Navy_Pete]

These lone wolf type of attacks must be a nightmare for law enforcement; unless they are boasting about it or otherwise reported, must be hard to track/predict.

Interesting to see what they do to Minassin, who had basically the same kind of logic.

Aside from the charge, does it add any extra to how they are jailed/paroled, or does it just increase sentencing length?  I don't mind a harsher punishment, but if there is no kind of deradicalization for extremists, seems stupid to ever plan to let them out again as you did nothing to make them not a threat.

 

[Journeyman]

These lone wolf stray mutt  type of attacks ….

The term does wolves a disservice.

 

[brihard]

These lone wolf type of attacks must be a nightmare for law enforcement; unless they are boasting about it or otherwise reported, must be hard to track/predict.

Interesting to see what they do to Minassin, who had basically the same kind of logic.

Aside from the charge, does it add any extra to how they are jailed/paroled, or does it just increase sentencing length?  I don't mind a harsher punishment, but if there is no kind of deradicalization for extremists, seems stupid to ever plan to let them out again as you did nothing to make them not a threat.

If someone's already up on multiple cases of murder, there's little value added for a terrorism charge. There's no change in the accused's jeopardy.

In the case of a youth charged with a single count of murder, I can see the reasoning- they want to get the matter taken as seriously as possible by the courts, ideally with adult sentencing. The terrorism aspect of it may bring a sentencing enhancement with it, though I'd have to check to see how that works... And the fact that the matter will proceed under the Youth Criminal Justice Act adds further variables.

 

[OceanBonfire]

Incels labelled violent extremists in latest CSIS annual report

Violent misogyny is recognized as a form of ideological extremism in the latest annual report of Canada’s intelligence service, released on Wednesday following the arrest of an alleged incel in Toronto.

The Canadian Security Intelligence Service report specifically names incels as an example of violent misogyny, and cites two attacks in Ontario by suspected followers of the ideology.

The classification of gender-based violence as violent extremism is part of the new terminology that CSIS said it would now use to describe the "violent extremist terrorist threat landscape."

"We take very seriously threats posed by individuals who hold extremist beliefs, including male supremacy and misogyny," Public Safety Minister Bill Blair's office said in a statement Thursday.

"Our government is committed to countering the threats to public safety and national security posed by ideologically motivated violent extremists, such as individuals motivated by incel ideologies."

The report comes a day after police charged a youth with terrorism offences over a deadly Feb. 24 attack at a Toronto massage parlour. Police alleged Tuesday the attacker was inspired by incel ideology.

Prof. Stephanie Carvin of the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs said the report was a sign that CSIS "has put some thought into how it handles violent extremism - that it is all not the same."

Under the new terminology, CSIS divided violent extremists and terrorists into three categories: religiously-motivated, politically-motivated and ideologically-motivated.

Gender-driven violence is one of four types of what are classified as "ideologically motivated violent extremism," along with xenophobic, anti-authority and "other" violence.

It defines gender-driven violence as "the hatred of those of a different gender and or sexual orientation which can lead to violent misogyny.

"The 2018 Toronto van attack is an example of gender-driven violence."

Almost 50 killings in Canada and the United States have been linked to incels, self-described "involuntary celibates" who frequent online forums that promote violence against women.

A terrorism and national security expert, Carvin said the examples provided by the intelligence agency in the report showed its thinking on where ideology and extremist violence come together.

"In this way, there is a maturing of CSIS' understanding of terrorist violence," she said.

...


https://globalnews.ca/news/6965806/incels-violent-extremism-csis-report/

https://www.canada.ca/content/dam/csis-scrs/documents/publications/2018-PUBLIC_REPORT_ENGLISH_Digital.pdf

 

[OceanBonfire]

Report: FBI found weapons, booby traps after arrest of 3 Nevada men with military experience

FBI agents found rags, gasoline, aerosol cans and weapons along with booby traps, fireworks and handwritten notes of military and survival tactics while serving search warrants on three Nevada men who authorities say sought to spark violence during recent Las Vegas protests, according to police reports obtained Monday.

U.S. prosecutors say Stephen T. Parshall, 35, Andrew T. Lynam Jr., 23, and William L. Loomis, 40, have ties to a loose movement of right-wing extremists advocating the overthrow of the U.S. government. Authorities said the men hoped to carry out a plan to create civic unrest by capitalizing on protests over businesses closed due to the coronavirus and later, the death of George Floyd, a black man who died in Minneapolis after a white officer pressed his knee into his neck for several minutes.

Parshall, Lynam and Loomis, all white men with U.S. military experience, each currently face two federal charges: conspiracy to damage and destroy by fire and explosive, and possession of unregistered firearms. They also face charges of felony conspiracy, terrorism and explosives possession in state court.

...

The complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Las Vegas last week said the men self-identified as part of the anti-government “boogaloo” movement, a loose, internet-rooted network of gun enthusiasts who often express support for overthrowing the U.S. government. Its name, a reference to a 1984 movie sequel called “Breakin’ 2: Electric Boogaloo,” is a code word for a second civil war.

...


https://www.militarytimes.com/news/your-military/2020/06/09/report-fbi-found-weapons-booby-traps-after-arrest-of-3-nevada-men/

 

[mariomike]

June 10, 2020

White supremacists and racist terrorists pose greatest risk of violence, FBI warns
https://nypost.com/2020/06/10/supremacists-racist-terrorists-greatest-risk-of-violence-fbi-memo/

White supremacists and racist domestic terrorists pose the largest threat of violence in the United States amid nationwide protests across the country, according to a new intelligence bulletin.

 

[Brad Sallows]

Amid nationwide protests, most of the violence is by plain old people.

 

[OceanBonfire]

Report: Airman suspected of killing deputy wrote violent extremist messages in blood

Staff Sgt. Steven Carrillo, the Travis Air Force Base security forces airman charged with murdering a California sheriff’s deputy and multiple other crimes last Saturday, wrote phrases associated with a far-right extremist movement in blood on a car before his arrest, NBC News reported Thursday.

Citing prosecutors from Santa Cruz County, NBC reported that Carrillo wrote the words “boog” and “I became unreasonable” in blood on the hood of a car shortly before he was arrested. NBC said “boog” is short for “boogaloo,” which is a term for an online anti-government movement that seeks to provoke a second civil war in America.

“I became unreasonable” refers to a quote from anti-government extremist Marvin Heemeyer, which has become a meme on boogaloo-related social media sites, NBC said. Heemeyer bulldozed 13 buildings in Colorado in June 2004 over a zoning dispute and then killed himself. He has become known by the nickname “Killdozer” in extremist circles online.

Carrillo also wrote “stop the duopoly” in blood, NBC said, referencing a desire to break the system of two main political parties in the United States.

...


https://www.airforcetimes.com/news/your-air-force/2020/06/12/report-airman-suspected-of-killing-deputy-wrote-violent-extremist-messages-in-blood/

 

[OceanBonfire]

Searches for extremist content spiked after Canada’s coronavirus lockdown: report

Engagement with violent, far-right extremist content online jumped in Canada during lockdowns imposed to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus, according to a group of researchers.

Moonshot CVE, a U.K.-based organization specializing in counter-extremism work, analyzed search data for six major Canadian cities between the end of January and the end of April, according to a report published this week.

Researchers found a “statistically significant increase in searches for violent far-right extremist content” in four regions: Calgary, Edmonton, Ottawa and the Montréal-Laval area. The analysis found that search traffic also increased in Toronto and Vancouver “but not to a statistically significant degree.”

...


https://globalnews.ca/news/7054410/coronavirus-extremist-content-searches-canada/

 

[Jarnhamar]

Should we look at changing the two terrorism threads names to be a bit more ambiguous in terms of who they single out?

Perhaps
Terrorism: Domestic/Extremist
Terrosism: Religious

or something along those lines?

 

[Weinie]

https://globalnews.ca/news/7054410/coronavirus-extremist-content-searches-canada/

Hmm. Up 34+ % in Ottawa. I wonder how much of the spike in searching out extremist content is from GoC agencies. With heightened concern about malign influence, I am sure that CSIS, CSE, RCMP, GAC, PMO, and countless other orgs we are not aware of, plus a host of media agencies seeking an exclusive, ratcheted up the numbers of scraping/searches they conducted.  Occams Razor
#self-licking ice cream cone.

 

[OceanBonfire]

More than 6,000 Canadian online channels involved in spreading right-wing extremism, study finds

A new study has identified more than 6,600 online channels, pages, groups and accounts across several social media platforms where Canadians were involved in spreading white supremacist, misogynistic or other extremist views.

The research, led by the U.K.-based Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD) and published Friday, found a variety of Canadian right-wing extremist communities across online platforms including Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Iron March, Fascist Forge, 4chan and Gab.

The study reported that these channels, pages, groups and accounts collectively have reached more than 11 million users across their platforms.

On one particular message board called "politically incorrect" on the fringe site 4chan, researchers found that Canadian users created more than 1.6 million posts, representing nearly six per cent of posts from all countries, according to the study.

"We found that Canadians are highly active on forums associated with white supremacy, representing the third largest nationality using 4chan's 'politically incorrect' board after the U.S. and U.K., and were the third largest community on Iron March when the platform was active," according to the report.

Jacob Davey, ISD senior research manager and one of the authors of the study, told CTVNews.ca on Friday that after considering population size, Canada actually had a larger proportion of users compared to other countries.

...


https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/more-than-6-000-canadian-online-channels-involved-in-spreading-right-wing-extremism-study-finds-1.4991473