Prisons Too Soft on Extremist | Far Right’s Fear of ‘Glowies’ | Trajectory of Political Violence, and more

However, it is the first time a civilian vehicle has been deliberately targeted by terrorists since the end of the dark decade. A few hours later and about 30km away, in the province of Khenchela, the army shot down a terrorist who had taken refuge in a cave. The equipment found in his possession – binoculars, a machine gun and a radio – indicate that he was in charge of monitoring this strategic area for armed groups. A week earlier, on 7 January, an operator of the 104th operational maneuver regiment – an elite anti-terrorist unit of the Algerian army – had uncovered the long tube of a portable Russian Strela-2 anti-aircraft missile.

Terrorism Watchdog to Open Inquiry into Radicalization in Prison (Guardian)
An inquiry into the way prisons deal with convicted terrorists is being launched by the independent terror watchdog amid concerns of growing radicalization behind bars. Jonathan Hall QC said there had been a succession of terror attacks on prison officers while other inmates were coming under the influence of “high status” terrorist prisoners. Hall, the government’s independent reviewer of terrorism legislation, said that if terrorist activity was taking place in jails then it had to be dealt with. “There has been a steady drumbeat over recent years of terrorist attacks against prison officers, and an increasing number of individuals who may well have formed their terrorist intent in prison under the influence of high status terrorist prisoners,” he told the Times. “If terrorism exists (in prison) then it ought to be dealt with. We need scrutiny of how prisons operate to either contain, or worse encourage, terrorism.” His comments followed a series of high-profile cases, including the 2019 London Bridge attack when Usman Khan, a terrorist prisoner out on license, stabbed two people to death. Khairi Saadallah, who was given a whole life sentence earlier this month for murdering three men in a terror attack in a Reading park, had been befriended by a radical preacher while serving an earlier prison term.

FBI Says Far-Right Militia Used Facebook Messenger to Coordinate Attack on Capitol Building (Alyse Stanley, Gizmodo)
Parler, a veritable breeding ground of far-right extremists, has arguably come under the most fire for its part in the Capitol riots, but let’s not forget that the internet is a big place, and violent radicalization on the scale we saw on Jan. 6 doesn’t develop in a bubble. Case in point: The Federal Bureau of Investigation said this week that a group of far-right militia members used Facebook Messenger to coordinate their actions during the siege on the Capitol Building. According to the FBI, Thomas Edward Caldwell, a ranking member of the self-described paramilitary group known as the Oath Keepers, appeared to lead the group’s efforts to track down legislators during the attack. Screenshots of Facebook messages between Caldwell and other rioters show him bragging about “storming the castle” on Jan. 6 and receiving updates about the specific whereabouts of lawmakers as they fled from the flood of violent insurgents raiding the building, per federal court documents shared by the George Washington University Program on Extremism. While storming the Capitol building—which he stupidly bragged about online in real-time, as did scores of other idiots—Caldwell is said to have received several disturbing Facebook messages goading him on to hunt down lawmakers.

The Far Right’s Fear of ‘Glowies’ (Olga Khazan, The Atlantic)
In the aftermath of the January 6 riot, extremists have become obsessed with the federal agents who might lurk among them.

How Parler Reveals the Alarming Trajectory of Political Violence (Candace Rondeaux and Heather Hurlburt, New York Times)
The Biden administration needs a game plan to deal with what will be a rolling and escalating threat from platform migration.

Jeffrey Clark Was Considered Unassuming. Then He Plotted with Trump. (Katie Benner and Charlie Savage, New York Times)
Justice Department colleagues said they were shocked by Mr. Clark’s embrace of the president’s falsehoods and plan to oust the acting attorney general in an effort to overturn Georgia’s election results.

Justice Dept. Watchdog Opens Inquiry into Any ‘Improper Attempt’ By Officials to Overturn Election (New York Times)
The inquiry by inspector general is the second known investigation into the actions of top Justice Department officials during the final weeks of the Trump administration.

Prisons Too Soft on Extremist Inmates, Warns Terrorism Watchdog (Fiona Hamilton, The Times)
Convicted terrorists are not being prosecuted for radicalizing fellow inmates and extremism is being “encouraged” behind bars, the terrorism watchdog has warned.
Jonathan Hall, QC, said that there was an “increasing drumbeat of links” between prison and terrorist attacks, with offenders not being properly punished for owning radical material, preaching extremism and inciting violence.
Mr. Hall, the government’s independent reviewer of terrorism legislation, will today announce an inquiry into whether prisons are dealing properly with terrorist offenders.