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May 22

Saints and Soldiers wins Grand Prize for 2022 Nellie Bly Book Award, dedicated to "Journalistic Non-Fiction, Investigative Works, and In-depth Reports on Issues and Societal Topics." Delighted

@ChantiReviews

finds Saints and Soldiers timely and important. amazon.com/Saints-Soldier

Apr 21

Twitter has become a sad circus and lost cause, and I've determined it's no longer suited for my analysis and reporting. However, you can read my updates and analyses on LinkedIn.

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Apr 17

To restrict abortion pill access, Texas judge cites "anonymous blog posts, cherry-picks statistics," claiming concern for "women’s safety.” So, given the scant risk of complications associated with Viagra (per

@acog

), a judge clearly must restrict it for "men's safety," right?🤔

Quote Tweet

The Washington Post

@washingtonpost

Apr 13

Texas judge ignored scientific evidence of abortion pill’s safety, citing statistics that overstate the negative physical and psychological effects of mifepristone. wapo.st/3zVuISn

Apr 13

Arrest after classified docs leak. AG Garland: "Today, the Justice Department arrested Jack Douglas Teixeira in connection with an investigation into alleged unauthorized removal, retention, and transmission of classified national defense information." justice.gov/opa/speech/att

Trump indictment updates: Trump denies committing crimes, attacks foes in scattered Mar-a-Lago...

Apr 4

When asked about timing, Bragg claims "additional evidence" emerged that was not available to the Manhattan DA's office prior to his time there. "I've been doing this for 24 years, and I do not bring cases prior to a rigorous and thorough investigation"

NOW: Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg laying out case against Donald Trump: false statements, payments to Cohen for "fictitious legal services in 2017," and much more. Says such crimes cannot be "normalized."

Trump has been arrested: "Donald Trump pleaded not guilty Tuesday to 34 counts of falsifying business records and conspiracy, in the first-ever criminal arraignment of a former U.S. president."

cnbc.com

Ex-President Donald Trump will be arraigned in Manhattan, as the U.S. awaits details on the charges he faces related to a hush money payment to Stormy Daniels.

US CENTCOM announced killing of another #ISIS official in Syria - Khalid ‘Aydd Ahmad al-Jabouri. The press release noted Jabouri's role in external attack planning in Europe and Turkey, calling the strike a disruption of such activity.

centcom.mil

Strike Kills ISIS Leader in Syria

TAMPA, Fla. – U.S. Central Command forces conducted a unilateral strike in Syria today killing Khalid ‘Aydd Ahmad al-Jabouri, an ISIS senior leader. Khalid ‘Aydd Ahmad al-Jabouri was responsible for

This is what will happen when Trump is arrested in the coming days.

Apr 3

Trump is now building on the Big Lie. Every day, Trump posts, right-wing articles, and far-right social media frenzies write this story further into stone: that Trump—and America—is under attack. As legal proceedings continue in months ahead, the Big Lie will continue to grow.

Zooming out from these mounting day-to-day threats, one can see a familiar process repeating itself. J6 didn't happen overnight. Trump's Big Lie about 2020 took months, if not a year to build. It not only set the stage for J6—it created a permanent brain worm across the right.

Since Trump's indictment,

@SITE_FRFL

has seen no shortage of "civil war" declarations from his most diehard MAGA supporters: threats to dox or attack the judge and grand jury, calls for mass mobilization, and so on. Troubling, but also important to see the bigger picture. 🧵

"He will be fingerprinted. He will be photographed. He may even be handcuffed... "...Lawyers for Mr. Trump...have said he will surrender to face the charges and fly from his Florida estate to New York for the arraignment."

nytimes.com

Donald J. Trump will likely face standard processing when he is taken into custody, but the unprecedented arrest of a former commander in chief will be anything but routine.

He will be fingerprinted. He will be photographed. He may even be handcuffed. Now that a Manhattan grand jury has voted to indict Donald Trump, here’s what will happen when he is arrested.

nytimes.com

This is what will happen when Trump is arrested in the coming days.

Donald J. Trump will likely face standard processing when he is taken into custody, but the unprecedented arrest of a former commander in chief will be anything but routine.

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Mar 30

Worsening things are reckless creeps like Tucker Carlson, who has framed the attack as part of a war between trans people and Christianity, perpetuated by a sinister "transgender lobby"—a narrative far-right extremists have echoed while inciting for violence.

The far right is in a frenzy to exploit the Tennessee Christian school shooting, carried out by a trans person. Such extremists declaring “open season” against trans people: “the gloves are off.” A truly grim layer to add to Monday’s senseless tragedy.

SITE Intelligence Group is an American non-governmental organization that tracks online activity of white supremacist and jihadist organizations. It is based in Bethesda, Maryland. From 2002 to 2008,...

SITE Intelligence Group

For its part, the Iraq-based Hezbollah brigades, another Iran-backed Shi'a militant group, denied any role in the attack, while also threatening retaliation on the "American presence" in the region if targeted.

While Denying Any Role in UAV Attack on Coalition Bases in Syria, Hezbollah Brigades Official...

SITE Intelligence Group provides government and private sector enterprises with verified, actionable open-source data, intelligence, and analytics on designated terrorists and violent extremists.

UPDATE on recent Syria clashes: An Iran-linked Shi'a militant unit called "Liwa al-Ghalibun" claimed credit for the drone strike on U.S. base in Hasakah that resulted in the death of a U.S. contractor on Mar 23. Also included vid documentation of drone. ent.siteintelgroup.com/Jihadist-Threa

I wrote Saints and Soldiers to show a full picture of Internet-age terrorism to professional and general audiences alike, because there is increasingly no corner of society unaffected by its horrors.

amazon.com

Saints and Soldiers: Inside Internet-Age Terrorism, From Syria to the Capitol Siege (Columbia...

Saints and Soldiers: Inside Internet-Age Terrorism, From Syria to the Capitol Siege (Columbia Studies in Terrorism and Irregular Warfare)

Saints and Soldiers chosen as a finalist for

@ChantiReviews

's Nellie Bly Book Award for Journalistic Non-Fiction! Absolutely thrilled to be considered alongside such important non-fiction work of the last year.

For the op in #Balkh, a linked media unit released a vid showing U.S. dollars and other currencies at the hideout, and a clip of #ISKP defector Abdul Rahim Muslim Dost saying that #ISIS receives money from abroad, either from Lashkar-e-Taiba or IS units in Iraq and Syria.

#Taliban reports raids on ISKP hideouts in Balkh + Kabul, a week after two IS-claimed assassinations of Taliban officials in Herat and Balkh. Taliban said cell eliminated in Kabul included 3 important fighters were planning #Ramadan attacks in the capital

Afghan Taliban Reports Raids on ISKP Hideouts in Balkh and Kabul, Aligned Unit Says Uzbek and Tajik...

SITE Intelligence Group provides government and private sector enterprises with verified, actionable open-source data, intelligence, and analytics on designated terrorists and violent extremists.

7) However, the threat environment we’re seeing now is one more of potential isolated, localized violent threats, not a coordinated insurrection as seen on January 6—at least as of yet.

6) None of this is to say that Trump couldn’t steer his supporters toward another similar event. He evidently still holds immense influence over his supporters, all of whom still hold an intense distrust of the government.

Ultranationalists Discuss “Marching Orders” from Trump, Call for January 6 “Part 2” Ahead of...

Immediate reporting on far-right and far-left violent extremist groups and online influencers.

5) Even among remaining supporters, there is nowhere near the same level of mobilization. It’s easy to forget the unprecedented cocktail of J6: Trump still in power, the 2020 election the far right’s single focus, the designated Stop the Steal rally as an organizing foundation.

4) As I wrote in my book, Saints and Soldiers, Trump’s “stolen” election narratives once consumed the far right. Now, many users on platforms like Gab openly state how they don’t care if Trump is arrested.

amazon.com

Saints and Soldiers: Inside Internet-Age Terrorism, From Syria to the Capitol Siege (Columbia...

Saints and Soldiers: Inside Internet-Age Terrorism, From Syria to the Capitol Siege (Columbia Studies in Terrorism and Irregular Warfare)

3) A lot has changed since J6. Many in the far right don’t back Trump anymore. A state chapter of the Proud Boys warned against rallying, reminding how Trump “threw everyone under the bus” after the Capitol insurrection. Others warned, “DONT FALL FOR IT.”

“DON’T FALL FOR IT”: Proud Boys Chapter, Far-Right Communities Warn of “FBI Trap” Following Trump’s...

2) Trump’s call indeed creates an elevated threat environment, but nothing like J6. What we're seeing at SITE is an outpouring of rallying cries and violent threats to “burn down Manhattan,” “bring society to a halt,” and declarations of "civil war"—dangerous, but not unexpected.

1) I'm being asked if—and to what extent—Trump's call for protests might lead to a J6-like event. Below is a thread of some of my thoughts thus far.

Quote Tweet

Mar 18

Trump is beyond nervous. His call for protests ahead of his expected indictment resembles how he incited January 6: using his followers as a weapon in desperation. And, all the same, users across MAGA-aligned online communities are rallying around this latest directive.

All of this violence is interspersed with the arrival of the Russian PMC Wagner Group in Mali - which has been accused by JNIM and ISIS of attacking the Muslim civilian population, as both groups seek to win hearts and minds by framing their attacks as defense against injustice.

The vid comes amid major media/military uptick from ISIS, with the group issuing claims alongside extensive photo documentation for high-casualty attacks on rival JNIM fighters and military forces in Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger - as well as an-Naba articles + infographics.

For its part, #ISIS issued feature provincial vid from #Sahel - marking its first non-pledge, combat-oriented video from the region. Vid shows for the first time the dead body of former ISIS Sahel leader Sahrawi, in addition to ops across Mali and Niger. ent.siteintelgroup.com/Jihadist-Threa

Major JNIM ops in March include rare strikes in three Western provinces of Burkina Faso - Nayala, Mouhoun, and Kénédougou - as well as a high-casualty clash with ISIS fighters in Gao. ent.siteintelgroup.com/Jihadist-Threa

JNIM Claims Killing 60 IS Fighters During Battle in Gao Amid Ongoing Campaign Against Group |...

SITE Intelligence Group provides government and private sector enterprises with verified, actionable open-source data, intelligence, and analytics on designated terrorists and violent extremists.

Video has surfaced of Gerco Van Deventer, a South African journalist kidnapped in Libya in 2017. Deventer identifies his captors as #JNIM, and states that he is being held in northern Mali. Comes amid major uptick from JNIM and ISIS in Sahel. ent.siteintelgroup.com/Jihadist-Threa

AQAP issues photo of media figure who was killed alongside top official Hamad bin Hamoud al-Tamimi in recent airstrike in Marib, Yemen. The image of Abu Nasser al-Hadhrami comes in the latest installment in AQAP's "Martyrs of the Epic Battles" series. ent.siteintelgroup.com/Jihadist-Threa

SITE Intelligence Group reports: As-Sahab, al-Qaeda's central media unit, formally released an article originally written by Saif al-Adl--a rare move which might nod toward his role with al-Qaeda. ent.siteintelgroup.com/Jihadist-Threa

Mar 17

AQAP official Ibrahim al-Qosi urges Muslims "cleanse" Arabian Peninsula from corrupted rulers, citing Western influence + sunk cost on FIFA World Cup, in speech titled "Woe to Arabs Because of Evil which has Drawn Near." First appearance since July 2022. ent.siteintelgroup.com/Jihadist-Threa

Mar 14

2/3 of ISIS attacks in DRC in 2023 targeted Christians, with focus on villages and convoys in North Kivu and Ituri provinces, and tactics consisting of armed assaults that often result in executions and mass arson. This latest string of ops marks heaviest since late January.

#ISIS takes credit for bloody week of attacks targeting "Christian" civilians in DRC, w/ 3 claims for significant strikes on villages in North Kivu from March 8-12. ISIS reported more than 85 killed. Local authorities confirmed uptick+heavy casualties.

ISCAP Claims More than 50 Congolese Christians Killed in Two Attacks in Two Days | Jihadist Threat...

SITE Intelligence Group provides government and private sector enterprises with verified, actionable open-source data, intelligence, and analytics on designated terrorists and violent extremists.

The two #ISIS claims come just over a week after the Taliban announced the killing of the intelligence and military chief for ISIS Khorasan Province (ISKP) in a nighttime raid in the Afghan capital #Kabul.