• On Christchurch Call Anniversary, a Step Closer to Eradicating Terrorism Online?

    Is it possible to eradicate terrorism and violent extremism from the internet? To prevent videos and livestreams of terrorist attacks from going viral, and maybe even prevent them from being shared or uploaded in the first place? Courtney C. Radsch writes that the governments and tech companies involved in the Christchurch Call are dealing with a difficult issue: “The big question is whether the twin imperatives of eradicating TVEC while protecting the internet’s openness and freedom of expression are compatible,” Radsch writes.

  • U.S. Anti-Hate Crime Law Provides New Enforcement Tools, but Will It Work?

    A bill that President Joe Biden signed into law Thursday gives local and federal officials new tools and resources to combat hate crimes, while putting the spotlight on a surge in anti-Asian hate during the COVID-19 pandemic. The impetus for the new law was a dramatic increase in attacks on Asian Americans since the start of the pandemic in Wuhan, China, more than a year ago.

  • “Racially or Ethnically Motivated Violent Extremists” Pose “Most Lethal” Threat to Homeland: DHS, FBI

    A joint report from the FBI and the DHS  on domestic violent extremism (DVE) warns that lone wolf attackers, who have ready access to weapons, pose the most serious terrorism threat to the United States. The report notes that the number of people killed by racially motivated violent extremists (RMVEs) has been on the rise every year since 2017.

  • Agreement Reached for Bipartisan Probe into U.S. Capitol Riot

    The House Homeland Security Committee announced a bipartisan agreement Friday to form a panel to conduct an investigation into the Jan. 6 insurrection on the U.S. Capitol. A bill will be introduced for House consideration as early as next week. The measure will call for an investigative commission similar to the one that probed the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the U.S. 

  • Al Qaeda, Supporters Advocate for Lone Actor Attacks in the West

    A pro al-Qaeda digital propaganda group has released digital articles which call on Americans to engage in lone-wolf terror attacks against fellow Americans. Because American counterterrorism pressure has severely degraded its capabilities, Al Qaeda appears to believe its best hope of achieving a terrorist attack against the West is to inspire domestic extremists.

  • France, Britain Fearful of Resurgent Jihadist Threat After Lockdown

    Nearly 200 jihadists imprisoned in France are due to be released over the next two years and French security officials are pressing French lawmakers to approve fresh antiterrorist measures to impose enhanced restrictions on those freed and to give police new legal powers to fight terrorism.

  • Videos: Proof of Life or Death?

    Can the fate of hostages be determined from proof-of-life video messages? While terrorist hostage-taking is uncommon, ideologically motivated hostage-takers often provide a video demonstrating proof of control and proof of life (POL). These videos establish that a hostage is alive at the time the video was made, and hence provide valuable information for families and governments charged with their safe recovery. What they don’t reveal, however, is the likely fate of hostages.

  • Second Open Letter by French Soldiers Warns of Civil Insurrection

    Disquiet is growing within France’s military ranks, with the publication of a second open letter — this time by serving soldiers — warning growing Islamism, delinquency and violence threaten the country’s very survival.

  • Germany Sees Spike in Politically Motivated Crimes

    German interior minister Horst Seehofer has warned of what he called an alarming rise in politically motivated crime last year, particularly among far-right groups.

  • Twenty Years After 9/11, the U.S. Needs a Better Strategy to Prevent and Counter Violent Extremism

    With his announcement to withdraw all U.S. troops from Afghanistan by the 20th anniversary of 9/11, President Joe Biden is delivering on his promise to bring an end to the “forever wars” that were the defining features of what began as the “Global War on Terrorism” two decades ago. Eric Rosand writes that “The global terrorist threat today is qualitatively different than it was 20 years ago,” and, “therefore, the strategy for addressing it must reflect that change.”

  • Understanding 21st-Century Militant Anti-Fascism

    Anti-fascist militancy has existed for as long as fascism has, but militant anti-fascism is still largely neglected across both academic and policy-practitioner communities.A new study says that there is a need for a more robust, evidence-based understanding of the antifa phenomenon, especially in a context where militant anti-Fascist protest in the United States has been conflated with “domestic terrorism.”

  • Displaced Conflict: Russia’s Qualified Success in Combatting Insurgency

    In both Syria and the North Caucasus, Russia claims success in fighting insurgency and terrorism, offering itself as a model of best practice. Closer examination, however, shows that this “success” carries major caveats and is more illusory than it first appears.

  • France Arrests Seven Former Red Brigades Members

    French police on Wednesday arrested seven Italian nationals who members of the leftist Red Brigades terrorist group which terrorized Italy in the 1970s and 1980s. One of the group’s more spectacular crimes was the kidnapping and murder of a former Italian prime minister Aldo Moro.

  • QAnon Poses a Threat to U.S. National Security: Report

    The QAnon movement poses a threat to U.S. national security, concludes a new report by the Soufan Center. Although commonly perceived as a domestic movement within the U.S., the data suggests that foreign states are utilizing the QAnon conspiracy theory to sow societal discord and even compromise legitimate political processes.

  • DHS Announces Domestic Violent Extremism Review at DHS

    DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on Monday announced an internal review to address the threat of domestic violent extremism within DHS. A cross-departmental working group comprising senior officials will begin a comprehensive review of how to best prevent, detect, and respond to threats related to domestic violent extremism within DHS.