terrorism

'It sounds the same': Federal judge cites Trump's January 6 speech as example of terrorism

One federal judge presiding over a case involving a man convicted on terrorism charges recently pointed out that President Donald Trump's speech on January 6, 2021 was remarkably similar to the circumstances surrounding a federal terrorism defendant.

Politico reported Friday that a judge on the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals brought up Trump's speech on the Ellipse in Washington D.C. as an example of incitement of terrorism. The court was hearing an appeal of Ali Al-Timimi, who was convicted in 2005 as part of the "Virginia Jihad" plot.

Department of Justice prosecutor Gordon Kromberg was defending the government's prosecution of Al-Timimi, who was arrested and charged after convincing a group of men to travel to Pakistan to defend the Taliban in Afghanistan in the wake of the September 11, 2001 terror attacks. U.S. Circuit Judge Stephanie Thacker (an appointee of former President Barack Obama) argued to Kromberg that Al-Timimi's crime sounded similar to Trump's actions on January 6th.

"What if a large group of people, angry at Congress, gathered on the Washington Mall, some of whom have firearms, and are known to have firearms, and a leader stood in front of them, here, right in front of them, not in another country, and said, ‘Go down the street and fight like hell. I’ll be there with you," Thacker asked Kromberg.

Kromberg notably stayed away from expressing an opinion on whether Trump's speech was equivalent to terrorism, but argued that Al-Timimi making efforts to keep proceedings secret implied knowledge that he knew he was committing a crime.

"I take no position on what happens when a public speaker speaks on television to the world, as opposed to someone who knows that he’s doing something illegal, because he says, ‘Turn off the phones, close the shades,’" Kromberg said.

"To me, it sounds the same. So, if what you’re advocating is a crime, then what I just said is a crime — may be a crime," Thacker said.

Click here to read Politico's full report.

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'Strategic blindness': Experts fear another 9/11 as Trump sidelines counter-terrorism vets

Bureau of Counterterrorism senior advisor Michael Duffin tells MSNBC the Trump administration fired him and many others from the Office of Countering Violent Extremism.

“I was one of more than 1,300 State Department employees fired by the Trump administration in July,” said Duffin, despite his expertise at neutralizing the recruitment appeal of Al Qaeda, the Islamic State (ISIS) and other terrorist groups.

While the U.S. military did its thing battling terrorism in battlefields, Duggin’s department worked behind the scenes to defuse welling terrorism outgrowths before they evolved into a threat or successfully filled the ranks of violent organizations with new recruits.

They forged successful partnerships with a Belgian municipality that had become an ISIS recruitment hub, with dozens of young people drawn to the group’s propaganda. After valuable training from U.S. officials, the mayor of that Belgian town managed to undermine and eventually shut down ISIS recruitment.

And when Al Qaeda tried to radicalize vulnerable communities in Bangladesh, Duffin said the State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development “worked together to build economic resilience and social cohesion among the refugee population,” which was desperate and vulnerable to overtures from terrorist organizations. Duffin said there is no evidence of large-scale radicalization among the population today.

According to MSNBC, Trump tossed many of these valuable counterterrorism officials in his rush for fealty among employees.

“The Trump administration forced us out because we allegedly had a ‘radical political ideology,’ in the words of Secretary of State Marco Rubio,” said Duffin. “But the administration fails to acknowledge the grave risk it just placed on our country and so many of our global allies by exposing innocent people to radical ideology of an entirely different nature.”

Duffin warned that reducing Counterterrorism Bureau staffing and funding “will lead to strategic blindness at a time when this threat poses a grave threat to the homeland.”

“The Trump administration’s oversimplified strategy of eliminating the terrorist threat through military action ignores the very essence of how terrorist ideology spreads across communities around the world and online,” Duffin warned. “We need smart, coordinated counterterrorism policy shaped by people who know the physical and digital terrain.”

“At the time my office was closed, we were supporting the rehabilitation of ISIS family members in northeast Syria and developing strategies to counter ISIS-Khorasan, which has proven capable of attacking the United States,” said Duffin. “Now, it’s unclear how — or whether — the State Department will continue these efforts despite evidence that terrorist radicalization is increasing.”

Read the full MSNBC report at this link.

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Military expert warns of 'more bombastic and stronger' terror attacks from US veterans

The two recent acts of terrorism by U.S. military veterans may just be the beginning, according to one expert who studies extremism among American troops.

In a recent interview with the Guardian, Army Captain Bishop Garrison – a Bronze Star recipient who served two tours in Iraq — warned that there could be more attacks like the ones recently carried out in New Orleans, Louisiana and Las Vegas, Nevada if military leaders don't seriously address extremism among service members. He told the paper that his prior warnings about the prevalence of both extreme views and mental health problems among veterans went largely unheeded by the Pentagon.

“As far as I know, there was never any implementation of our policies,” Garrison said. “We finished our recommendations, we had been attacked, our recommendations were not adopted.”

"Both incidents demonstrate the sleeping danger that we have failed to deal with as a country," Garrison continued, referencing the truck attack on Bourbon Street and the Cybertruck bombing outside the Trump International Hotel on the Las Vegas strip. "I am worried that we will see more of this type of action taking place, that it will become more bombastic and stronger, and that more people will be injured or killed."

President Joe Biden's administration tapped Garrison to study extremism among enlisted men and women in order to find ways to effectively counter it. But as President-elect Donald Trump prepares to take power, Garrison said the problem will now rest with Defense Secretary-designate Pete Hegseth, should his nomination survive his upcoming confirmation hearing in the Senate Armed Services Committee.

"The committee should ask some very direct questions about Hegseth’s previous statements," Garrison told the Guardian. "This is not about political rhetoric, it’s about keeping people safe and ensuring that military units are able to carry out their mission of protecting the country."

Hegseth has previously said he would target so-called "woke" policies at the Defense Department, using that word to describe diversity, equity and inclusion programs at the Pentagon. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), who is a member of the Armed Services Committee, has promised to grill the Fox News personality specifically about whether he thinks American troops should be allowed to affiliate with white supremacist groups and other domestic extremists.

Click here to read the Guardian's article in full.

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'He’ll have to deliver': GOP strategist says Trump has small window to prove he can govern

Now that President-elect Donald Trump has won reelection, America's problems will be his to solve in less than three weeks when he's sworn in as the 47th president of the United States. Now, one Republican strategist is warning that Trump's incoming administration will have an uphill battle to follow through on his campaign promises.

Politico reported Saturday that the recent wave of terror attacks and cybersecurity breaches from foreign actors underscore the problems that await Trump after his January 20th inauguration ceremony. In addition to the deadly attack on New Orleans' Bourbon street that killed 14 people (and injured dozens more) in the early morning hours of New Years' Day and the Cybertruck detonation in Las Vegas that injured seven, a Chinese cyberattack compromised the U.S. Treasury Department.

Ryan Williams — a Republican strategist who previously worked for Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) — told Politico that Trump's big promises on the campaign stump will now be added pressure for him to prove his ability to lead, given recent events.

"This is something Trump made a major point of during the campaign: People don’t feel safe and don’t feel the current Democratic administration or local administrations in cities and states are really doing enough about it," Williams said. "It’s a point he can continue to make until he becomes president. Then he’s got a period of time to show people he’s changing direction and fixing the problems. And then he’ll have to deliver solutions."

Following the New Orleans attack, the president-elect falsely claimed that the act was a consequences of the Biden administration's immigration policy. This led to Fox News having to fact-check Trump, given that the perpetrator was a native-born U.S. citizen and military veteran who lived in Texas. The suspected Cybertruck bomber was also a longtime military veteran who reportedly "loved Trump," according to his uncle.

Trump has yet to announce a pick to lead the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), which will likely prove to be a high-stakes job for its eventual director given the Chinese "Salt Typhoon" hack that breached major telecommunications companies and targeted the cellphones of both Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance. Rep. Mike Waltz (R-Fla.), who will be the Trump White House's National Security Advisor, called for "higher costs and consequences" for the Salt Typhoon hackers, and suggested a counterattack against Beijing. And Rep. Mark Green (R-Tenn.), who chairs the House Homeland Security Committee, said he's been in close contact with CISA regarding the cyberattack.

“China’s state-sponsored hackers remain an urgent threat to our homeland security,” Green told Politico. “This intrusion into the Treasury Department through a third-party vendor is a clear message from Beijing about its unwavering commitment to undermining our sovereignty, as well as a vital reminder of the importance of collective defense to protect our government networks.”

Click here to read Politico's article in its entirety.

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Feds seize 150 pipe bombs from man who 'used pictures of the President for target practice'

The FBI has announced that it confiscated a stockpile of explosives from a suspect the bureau has been investigating for years, who may be a member of an extremist terror cell.

Salon reported Thursday that, according to recently released court documents, Virginia man Brad Kenneth Spafford was arrested in late December after he was found with what Salon's Nicholas Liu called "the largest collection of homemade explosives seized by the FBI in its history." Spafford was charged under the National Firearms Act with possession of an illegal firearm.

Several of the homemade bombs were found in a backpack with a patch that read "#NoLivesMatter," which could be a reference to a far-right group that embraces political violence. An August threat assessment by the New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness (OHSP) said the group recruits "true misanthropic individuals" on the messaging app Telegram, and encourages arson, vandalism and manufacturing improvised explosive devices.

In addition to the pipe bombs, investigators also reportedly found bomb-making materials and written instructions on how to make bombs. Spafford allegedly had fuses, pieces of PVC pipe and the volatile chemical compound HTMD stored in a freezer, which is used to make blasting caps.

Spafford had been on the FBI's radar since 2023, when a confidential source told the bureau that Spafford was stockpiling weapons and ammo and had contemplated building a turret equipped with a .50 caliber machine gun. He also reportedly injured his hand while building an explosive device.

"The defendant has used pictures of the President for target practice, expressed support for political assassinations, and recently sought qualifications in sniper-rifle shooting at a local range," federal prosecutors wrote in asking for Spafford to remain incarcerated pending his trial.

The new court documents come on the heels of two high-profile terror attacks in New Orleans, Louisiana and Las Vegas, Nevada. Both of those attacks were allegedly carried out by U.S. military veterans, killing 14 on New Orleans' Bourbon Street and injuring dozens more. Seven people were injured in the Las Vegas attack, in which a Tesla Cybertruck was detonated outside of the Trump International Hotel on Wednesday morning.

Click here to read Salon's article in full, and click here to read the court filing on Spafford.

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Experts warn Trump’s plan to deregulate crypto will help terrorists and domestic extremists

President-elect Trump campaigned on being a "crpyto president," promising to open up the floodgates on cryptocurrency by undoing regulations imposed by President Joe Biden's Securities and Exchange Commission.

But according to a Wednesday report in the Guardian, crypto deregulation could provide a significant benefit to extremist groups and foreign terrorist organizations that use crypto to finance their activity. The outlet noted that neo-Nazi group The Base – which has been under FBI investigation for years — used the new development of an incoming pro-crypto administration to solicit donations via cryptocurrency on Election Day.

"Supporters! We at the Base received some donations and we are quite happy as we are purchasing blanks and blank firing adapters for AR-15s so members can train in small unit tactics,” the message read.

“We need further funding to help buy more 5.56 blanks, training courses, powerfilm USA foldable solar panels to charge batteries in the field, Carinthia Defence 4 sleeping bags, electronic earmuffs and mics, bump helmets, GoPros, thermal optics, and FPV drones in that order," the group continued, posting a link to a Bitcoin wallet. “We will be fully transparent with purchases so you all see we are buying the equipment so we can train."

According to Joshua Fisher-Birch, who is an analyst at the Counter Extremism Project, crypto is extremists' preferred method of crowdfunding as any group can easily post a link to a wallet that can serve as a central destination where supporters around the world can channel funds. And while Bitcoin and Ethereum are among the most popular cryptocurrencies for mainstream investors, one of terrorist groups favorite cryptocurrencies is called Monero, due to its "untraceability."

"Monero has also become popular with pro-Islamic State and IS-linked propagandists, who have asked for Monero donations and have posted advice on how to purchase it," Fisher-Birch said.

Jessica Davis — a former Canadian spy who now runs a consultancy aimed at investigating terrorism financing – told the Guardian: "Any loosening of regulations on crypto (or, frankly, the appearance of loosening) is likely to further increase extremists’ use of crypto."

"“Over the last five years, there has been a steady increase in the number of terrorism cases involving cryptocurrency," she said. “Extreme right groups and actors have, in particular, been quick to adopt cryptocurrency... They do so in part to avoid scrutiny at financial institutions, but also because cryptocurrency is often hyped by far-right influencers.”

Trump was previously against crpytocurrency, calling it a "scam against the dollar." But he later flip-flopped on that position in his efforts to court campaign donations from far-right Silicon Valley tech titans. CNBC reported that a pro-Trump PAC received the equivalent of more than $7 million USD in cryptocurrency donations between June and October.

Click here to read the Guardian's report in full.

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House passes bill 'giving Donald Trump unlimited authority' to target political enemies

Thanks to the Republican-controlled House of Representatives, President-elect Donald Trump may now have an extra tool at his disposal to effectively destroy any organization that mobilizes against him.

The Intercept reported Thursday that H.R. 9495 — also known as the "Stop Terror-Financing and Tax Penalties on American Hostages Act" — passed the House by a vote of 219-184. All the no votes were from Democrats, though 15 Democrats joined the Republican majority in supporting the bill including Reps. Colin Allred (D-Texas), Yadira Caraveo (D-Colo.) Henry Cuellar (D-Texas), Tom Suozzi (D-N.Y.) and Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.).

If the bill becomes law, it would allow the U.S. Treasury secretary to deem any nonprofit a "terrorist supporting organization" and strip it of its tax-exempt 501(c)(3) status. This would effectively make it impossible for that group to remain operational.

H.R. 9495 could feasibly be used against some of the groups that vocally opposed Trump during his first administration, like the American Civil Liberties Union, the Human Rights Campaign, the NAACP, Planned Parenthood and the Southern Poverty Law Center among others. It could also potentially be used against nonprofit news outlets like ProPublica, Mother Jones, the Texas Tribune and the Center for Investigative Reporting.

Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas) was one of the key opponents of the bill. He argued that existing law is perfectly adequate in preventing U.S. based organizations from supporting terrorist groups, and that H.R. 9495 was merely a way to "give Donald Trump unlimited authority to label his opponents as terrorists."

“Authoritarianism is not born overnight — it creeps in,” Doggett said Thursday. “A tyrant tightens his grip not just by seizing power but when he demands new powers and when those who can stop him willingly cede and bend to his will.”

The bill now heads to the U.S. Senate, where Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) has so far been quiet as to his position on the bill. Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) has been an outspoken opponent of H.R. 9495.

Click here to read the Intercept's report in full.

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