Our picksEurope Boosts Counterterror Fight | Clueless Federal Agents in Portland | Changing H-1B Visa Rules, and more

Published 7 November 2020

·  Two ‘Boogaloo Bois’ Indicted in Plot to Supply Weapons to Terrorists for Attacks on U.S. Soldiers

·  Election Dispute Increases Risk of Political Violence, Analysts Warn

·  Austria, France to Push for Tougher Measures Against Islamists

·  Attacks in France Point to a Threat Beyond Extremist Networks

·  Trump Administration Changes H-1B Visa Rules, Prompting Pushback

·  How Government Agencies Can Use Tech to Safely Get Back to Their Workplaces

·  Clueless and Nameless: An Unnerving Report on Federal Agents in Portland

·  China Could Face Greater Terrorism Threat as U.S.“Delists” East Turkestan Islamic Movement, Experts Say

Two ‘Boogaloo Bois’ Indicted in Plot to Supply Weapons to Terrorists for Attacks on U.S. Soldiers (Nicholas Reimann, Forbes)
Two members of the far-right, anti-government Boogaloo Bois movement have been indicted after authorities discovered an alleged plot for the two to provide weapons to Hamas for the purpose of attacking U.S. and Israeli soldiers in the Middle East in hopes of using violence to cause a new American civil war.

Election Dispute Increases Risk f Political Violence, Analysts Warn(Hannah Allam, NPR)
Domestic terrorism analysts have warned for weeks about the possible triggers of election-related violence: a protracted vote count. Claims of rigging. Rampant disinformation. Protesters and vigilantes.

For all the worry about voter intimidation on Election Day, the aftermath was always the more urgent concern for groups and scholars who track how political disagreements spiral into street violence or extremist mobilizing. Now, the moment they dreaded has arrived, with a contentious vote count plunging the U.S. into an open-ended danger zone.

Austria, France to Push for Tougher Measures Against Islamists(Bojan Pancevski, Wall Street Journal)
After terrorist attacks, Sebastian Kurz and Emmanuel Macron plan joint push for Europe-wide plan

Attacks in France Point to a Threat Beyond Extremist Networks (Norimitsu Onishi, Constant Méheut and Layli Foroudi, New York Times)
The most recent attackers were isolated, self-radicalized individuals. That has raised questions about the government’s response.

Trump Administration Changes H-1B Visa Rules, Prompting Pushback (Ryan Secard, Industry Week)
The Department of Homeland Security estimates the new rules may reduce the amount of the visas issued by a third.

How Government Agencies Can Use Tech to Safely Get Back to Their Workplaces (Will Wise, Nextgov)
Now is the time to prioritize collaboration between the IT, physical security and human resources teams.

Clueless and Nameless: An Unnerving Report on Federal Agents in Portland (Carole Levin, NPQ)
While all eyes and ears where focused on the election, a report was released Monday night by the Department of Homeland Security inspector general that painted a most unflattering picture of the federal agents sent to protect the downtown courthouse in Portland, Oregon this summer. According to the report, many agents may not have been properly designated for their law enforcement role, and also may not have received proper training to act in that capacity.

China Could Face Greater Terrorism Threat as U.S.“Delists” East Turkestan Islamic Movement, Experts Say (Laura Zhou, South China Morning Post)