Islamist Terrorism Isn’t the Threat It Used to Be | Removing of Online 'Terrorist Content' | Tackling Ransomware Security Threat, and more

Mr. Macron has come under intense pressure to crack down on terrorism as well as Islamist separatism, an ideology his government says fuels attacks by radicalizing segments of France’s Muslim minority. A middle-school teacher was beheaded in a terrorist attack in October, and on Friday an administrative police worker was stabbed to death in a terrorist attack on a police station. The same day, Marine Le Pen, leader of the anti-immigrant National Rally party, threw her support behind a group of retired generals who published a letter in the far-right magazine Valuers Actuelles, saying the spread of Islamism and other ideologies was pushing France toward a civil war.

Navy SEALs to Shift from Counterterrorism to Global Threats  (Lolita C. Baldor, AP)
Ten years after they found and killed Osama bin Laden, US Navy SEALs are undergoing a major transition to improve leadership and expand their commando capabilities to better battle threats from global powers like China and Russia. The new plan cuts the number of SEAL platoons by as much as 30 percent and increases their size to make the teams more lethal and able to counter sophisticated maritime and undersea adversaries. And there will be a new, intensive screening process for the Navy’s elite warriors, to get higher-quality leaders after scandals that rocked the force and involved charges of murder, sexual assault and drug use. Rear Adm. H. Wyman Howard III, top commander for the SEALs, laid out his plans in an exclusive interview with The Associated Press. He said the Navy’s special operations forces have been focused on counterterrorism operations but now must begin to evolve beyond those missions. For the past two decades, many have been fighting in the deserts of Iraq and mountains of Afghanistan. Now they are focused on going back to sea.

What Chad’s Crisis Means for Fighting Jihad in Africa  (Katarina Hoije and Yinka Ibukun, Blommberg ? Washington Post)
The impoverished country of Chad used to be derisively referred to as a “nil state.” It shook off that label eight years ago, according to the then-foreign minister, when its military became a major player in the fight against jihadists in the Sahel, a semi-arid stretch of West and Central Africa, south of the Sahara desert. Now, however, Chad is facing an escalation of its own security and stability crises after the death in April of long-time President Idriss Deby, the result, according to the army, of injuries sustained in a rebel attack. His sudden demise — followed by a military takeover — have raised questions about the continuation of Chad’s role as an ally of France, the U.S. and other powers in the battle against violent Islamism. 1. Who was Deby? A herder’s son from the minority Zaghawa ethnic group, Deby joined the military and climbed through its ranks to become its commander-in-chief. He assumed the presidency in 1991 after leading a rebellion against autocratic leader Hissene Habre — who was later convicted of crimes against humanity by a special court in Senegal. Initially hailed as a liberator, Deby’s popularity slipped as his rule grew increasingly authoritarian. Despite Chad’s oil wealth — its daily output of 127,000 barrels is the seventh biggest in sub-Saharan Africa — it remains one of the world’s poorest countries, with about 80% of its 16 million people reliant on subsistence farming and herding to survive.

Germany to Spy on COVID Skeptics over Concerns of Extremist Ties  (Times of Israel)
Germany’s domestic intelligence agency will monitor leading protesters against COVID restrictions, the interior ministry says, over concerns they pose a threat to democracy and have ties to right-wing extremism. The monitoring will focus on members of Germany’s “Querdenker” (Lateral Thinkers) movement, which has emerged as the loudest voice against coronavirus curbs and an active promoter of conspiracy theories that deny basic facts about the pandemic. Some protest organizers “have clearly demonstrated that their agenda goes beyond simply mobilizing protests against the government’s corona measures,” a ministry statement says. Their main aim appears to be to “permanently undermine trust in state institutions and their representatives,” it adds. They are also suspected of seeking links with right-wing extremists such as “Reichsbuerger” (Citizens of the Reich) who question the legitimacy of the modern Federal Republic of Germany, and of spreading antisemitic messages and QAnon myths, the ministry says. The extremists encourage supporters to ignore official orders and challenge the state monopoly on the use of force, it adds.

EU Passes Law for Quick Removal of Online ‘Terrorist Content’  (DW)
The European Parliament on Wednesday approved a measure that will compel online platforms to swiftly remove or block access to online content deemed “terrorist” in nature. If the company fails to do so, it would risk a fine that could go up to 4% of its global turnover. That applies even if the order comes from a different EU state. However, the host country would have 72 hours to assess if the request was justified and whether or not it breached fundamental rights. Exceptions can be made for content posted for educational, journalistic, artistic or research purposes. The law also provides exceptions for smaller or non-commercial operators. MEPs backed the legislation without a vote, having offered no amendments to an agreement struck between EU member countries in December. “This regulation will make it more difficult for terrorists to abuse the internet to recruit online, to incite attacks online, to glorify their atrocities online,” EU Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson said as the legislation was presented. Patryk Jaki, an EU legislator from Poland who served as rapporteur on the legislation, said the law would prove to be a great tool and noted how the internet is often employed by terrorists trying to spread their messages.

Domestic Terrorism Law Being Weighed by Justice Department  (Bloomberg)
The Justice Department is “actively considering” whether to seek a new law that would let prosecutors bring specific charges for plotting and carrying out acts of domestic terrorism, a senior department official said. “One of the things we’re looking at is would we need new authorities,” Brad Wiegmann, deputy assistant attorney general for the department’s national security division, said during a House hearing Thursday. Wiegmann said the department has been successful using existing laws to fight domestic terrorism, such as bringing charges for offenses involving violations of weapons or explosives laws, hate crimes and arson. He said more than 430 arrests have been made in connection with the Jan. 6 assault on the U.S. Capitol. The attack was carried out by extremist supporters of then-President Donald Trump. The FBI has warned that domestic violent extremists pose a heightened threat for carrying out attacks in the U.S. in the near future, with white supremacists being the most lethal threat. “The question we’re really wrestling with is: Are there gaps?” Wiegmann told a House Appropriations subcommittee. “Is there some type of conduct that we can envision that we can’t cover or would it be an otherwise benefit in having something else other than what we’re having now?

Congress Needs to Review UN Agency’s Terror Finance Problem  (Julia Schulman and Richard Goldberg, Newsweek)
The Biden administration this month announced that it will resume U.S. funding for the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA)—a UN welfare agency ostensibly meant to assist Palestinian refugees that has faced multiple corruption scandals. One big problem: a review of the agency’s expenditures revealed that it steers money to terror-group affiliates. It’s now up to Congress to protect U.S. taxpayer funds. UNRWA is no stranger to criticism. Since most of its registered “refugees” are citizens or permanent residents of countries such as Jordan, or currently reside within the borders of a future Palestinian state, less than 5 percent of its serviced population meets the 1951 Refugee Convention criteria for refugee status. The agency has also fomented virulent anti-Semitism through its educational curriculum. It has no oversight other than a biannual audit conducted by the People’s Republic of China’s representative to the UN Board of Auditors. In seeking to help Palestinians in need of humanitarian assistance, there are many reasons that Congress could justifiably halt plans to restart aid to UNRWA, and direct aid to those in need through other channels.

ISIS Human Trafficking Networks Inquiry Launched by British Parliament  (Paul Peachey, The National)
Members of the UK Parliament are to examine the scale of ISIS human trafficking operations after 50 British women and children were identified in camps in north-east Syria. The group – jointly chaired by former international development secretary Andrew Mitchell – will push for the repatriation of Britons including adults who face potential criminal charges on their return. Human rights group Reprieve identified 16 women, 9 men and 34 children from Britain in the camps who are part of 15 family groups. It said the majority of the women were identified as victims of trafficking after they were taken to Syria as children, coerced into travelling or exploited on arrival. Last month, The National spoke to a boy, 13, in a migrant camp, the only surviving member of a family whose mother took them to Syria to join extremists. Other prominent cases include Shamima Begum, who travelled to Syria as a 15-year-old schoolgirl before marrying a Dutch ISIS fighter. They lived in the ISIS stronghold of Raqqa for about four years before the group lost its grip on the territory. She ended up in the Al Roj migrant camp where she is being held in dire conditions by the Syrian Democratic Forces.

Germany Puts Anti-Lockdown Group under Surveillance for Possible Extremist Ties  (Ivana Kottasová and Nadine Schmidt, CNN)
Germany’s intelligence service is putting some anti-lockdown activists under surveillance because of concerns they are attempting to undermine the legitimacy of the federal state. The country’s Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV) announced on Wednesday that the new surveillance would focus on some members of the ‘Querdenker’ group. The movement has been promoting coronavirus and vaccine skepticism as well as other conspiracy theories, and has been involved in violent anti-lockdown protests. Interior Minister Horst Seehofer said the Querdenker movement had shown it was willing to use violence and that the authorities have to protect the rule of law in the country. “Right wing extremists are trying to take control [of these events] — and what we cannot tolerate at all is violence,” Seehofer said at a news conference in Berlin on Wednesday. He stressed that people have the right to express their opinions, but that there is “zero tolerance” for extremism. Members of the movement — whose name means “thinking outside the box” or “lateral thinking” — have been protesting against lockdown measures since the start of the pandemic.

NIST, CISA Share Software Supply Chain Attack Defense Guidance  (Jessica Davis, Health IT Security)
In response to the supply chain attack against SolarWinds, NIST and DHS CISA released guidance to support entities with defense means, including risks and recommendations.

U.S. Creates Tasks Force to Tackle Ransomware Security Threat  (AP / Fox News)
‘In general, the ransomware actors have gotten more bold and more ruthless,’ says cybersecurity analyst.