• Extremists React to Pro-Trump Siege on Capitol

    On Wednesday, January 6, 2021, pro-Trump extremists, including some identified right-wing extremists, stormed the U.S. Capitol building, interrupting the Congressional session affirming the election results and forcing a partial evacuation. In chatrooms and other extremist forums, many people cheered the actions of those at the Capitol, praising the trespassers as patriots who were willing to “stand up” to politicians and the government. many users shared their belief that war is coming, and some encouraged people to be prepared for further action.

  • Capitol Hill Riots Prompt Germany to Revisit Online Hate Speech Law

    Numerous social networks were quick to impose bans President Donald Trump, preventing him from continuing to disseminate lies on their platforms, and, more importantly, blocking him from using his social media accounts to incite violence. For many critics, these restrictions came four years too late. The assault on the U.S. Capitol by Trump supporters has led to fresh calls in Germany for more restrictions on extremist speech in Germany, too.

  • QAnon and the Storming of the U.S. Capitol: The Offline Effect of Online Conspiracy Theories

    What is the cost of propaganda, misinformation and conspiracy theories? Democracy and public safety, to name just two things. The United States has received a stark lesson on how online propaganda and misinformation have an offline impact.

  • Cybersecurity and the Occupation of the Capitol

    On 6 January, a large number of pro-Trump rioters occupied portions of the U.S. Capitol building to protest and disrupt the counting and certification of electoral votes from the November 2020 election. Herb Lin writes that the significance of this event for American democracy, the rule of law, and the depths of extremism in the U.S. populace will be addressed by others, “but I am compelled to point out this siege has created potentially serious cyber risks for Congress and other affected offices.”

  • Germany Reviews Parliament Security after U.S. Capitol Riot

    The president of Germany’s lower legislative house, Wolfgang Schäuble, on Thursday said officials would examine improvements that could be made to parliamentary security in Germany after the storming of the U.S. Capitol building. Schäuble’s office said he would examine “what conclusions should be drawn from this for the protection of the Bundestag,” as the lower house is called, in light of the scenes from Washington.

  • 10 People to Stand Trial over 2016 Brussels Bombings

    Ten suspects will face court in the second half of next year over the 2016 Brussels terror attacks which left 32 people dead. One of the defendants was allegedly also involved in the 2015 Paris attacks.

  • Austria Calls for European Register of Muslim Imams

    Since the start of 2021, Austria has required the registration of all imams in the country. Now Austria is calling for the European Union to adopt the registration of imams, the worship leaders of Mosques in Muslim communities.

  • The Nashville Bombing and Threats to Critical Infrastructure: We Saw This Coming

    If fear of 5G technology proves to be the motive for the Christmas-Day bombing in Nashville, Tennessee, no one should be surprised. Audrey Kurth Cronin writes that if [Nashville bomber] Anthony Warner was indeed protesting 5G networks, it shines a light on the long-standing need for U.S. intelligence and law enforcement to meld global and local efforts to get ahead of cyber-driven threats to critical infrastructure. “Authorities need to strengthen their ability to meet anti-technology attacks on our vulnerable critical infrastructure, especially by looking close to home.”

  • Uighur Diaspora Hails Removal of ETIM from U.S. Terror List

    Uighur activists and experts alike welcomed the removal of the East Turkistan Islamic Movement (ETIM) from the U.S. terrorist list, saying the move by Washington last month helps the religious minority fight more effectively for its rights, while making it harder for China to portray its crackdown in Xinjiang as a counterterrorism measure.

  • Terrorist Groups Using COVID-19 to Reinforce Power and Influence: INTERPOL

    A new report issued by INTERPOL assesses the impact of COVID-19 on global terrorism, trends and potential risks related to attacks on vulnerable targets and bioterrorism is the focus of. As COVID-19 cases subside in some regions and surge in others, the report underlines the critical need to monitor the reaction and response by terrorist networks, violent extremist groups, and other potentially dangerous non-state actors.

  • Argentina: 1994 AMIA Jewish Center Bombing Still Shrouded in Mystery

    It has been 26 years since the bloody attack on the Argentine Israelite Mutual Association in Buenos Aires which left 85 people dead. So far, nobody has been convicted of the truck bombing — but that could soon change.

  • U.S. Charges New Suspect In 1988 Pan Am Bombing

    DOJ on Monday announced criminal charges against a new suspect in the 1988 terrorist bombing of a Pan Am airliner that blew up over Lockerbie, Scotland. The charges against Abu Agela Masud, a Libyan bombing expert, came on the 32nd anniversary of the deadly bombing and two days before Barr steps down as the nation’s top law enforcement officer.

  • Six Men Indicted in Alleged Plot to Kidnap Michigan Governor

    Six men were charged Thursday with conspiring to kidnap Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer in an alleged plot by right-wing extremists who were angry over her coronavirus containment policies. The suspects were arrested in October after an FBI probe into alleged plans to kidnap Whitmer at her vacation home in northern Michigan.

  • Polarization Increases with Economic Decline, Becoming Cripplingly Contagious

    The rise of populist movements is changing political systems around the world. As support for these “anti-elite” movements intensifies, many are scrambling to understand whether economic decline and intensifying inter-group conflict are playing a role.

  • Suspected Al-Shabab Operative Brought to US to Face Terror Charges

    An al-Shabab terror group operative accused of conspiring to carry out a 9/11-style attack in the United States has been brought to New York to face terrorism charges, the Justice Department announced on Wednesday. Kenyan national Cholo Abdi Abdullah is accused of conspiring to hijack a commercial airliner and crash it into a building in the United States. As part of the plot directed by senior al-Shabab leaders, Abdullah  obtained pilot training in the Philippines.