Islamist & Anti-Muslim Extremism
Violence at Islamic Center of Tucson Under Investigation
- Violence broke out at the Islamic Center of Tucson (ICT) on Christmas morning, leaving a broken window and one man with a black eye.
- Two members of the ICT were attacked while heading to morning prayers by a belligerent group of young men and women who attacked them before vandalizing the building.
- Surveillance footage captured the incident outside the back entrance of the building.
Kentucky Man Faces 50 Years in Prison for Joining ISIS
- A federal court charged Mirsad Hariz Adem Ramic, 31, a dual U.S.-Bosnian citizen living in Bowling Green, Ky. with providing material support to ISIS.
- In June 2014, Ramic and two co-conspirators each departed the United States for Istanbul, Turkey to support ISIS.
- Ramic attended an ISIS training camp where he received weapons and physical training and fired an AK-47.
- Ramic faces a maximum penalty of 50 years in prison, a fine of $750,000 and term of supervised release up to life.
Alt-Right & Alt-Left Extremism
Antisemitic Group Coordinates Multi-State Flyer Drop
- Antisemitic fliers, claiming Jews are responsible for COVID-19, were found in at least eight states over the weekend.
- The leaflets were part of a “coordinated flier drop,” by the antisemitic Goyim Defense League (GDL).
- The GDL, founded by Jon Minadeo of Petaluma, Calif., frequently engage in antisemitic stunts to troll and harass Jews, including showing up at Jewish events in a van marked with swastikas and shouting profanities.
FBI Teams Inside Portland Protests
- The FBI set up extensive surveillance operations inside Portland’s protest movement.
- Federal teams were initially dispatched in July 2020 to protect the city’s federal courthouse after protesters lit fires, smashed windows and lobbed fireworks at law enforcement personnel in the area.
- Police officers made more than 1,000 arrests during the course of the protests, and more than 200 people ultimately faced criminal prosecution.
Hostile Foreign Influence Operations
Defense Contractor Arrested for Attempted Espionage
- Harvard University professor Dr. Charles Lieber was found guilty on all counts on charges that he concealed his ties to a Chinese-run recruitment program.
- Charges included two counts of filing false tax returns, two counts of making false statements and two counts of failing to file reports from a foreign bank account in China.
- Lieber signed a contract with the Wuhan University of Technology for $50,000 a month and over $150,000 in living expenses.
Foreign Influence Response Center Delayed
- In 2019, Congress directed the creation of a Foreign Malign Influence Response Center to lead efforts to stop election interference by foreign adversaries.
- Two years later that center still is not close to opening, as the intelligence community and Congress remain divided over the center’s mission, budget and size.
