Violence and Security

US May Expand Laptop Ban to Flights from Europe

May 15, 2017

The US Department of Homeland Security is reviewing plans to expand the ban on in-cabin laptops flights originating in the Middle East to include all incoming flights from Europe, based on intelligence of credible threats by Islamist jihadi groups planning to convert laptops into lethal explosives.
EU Legislators Debate Proposals to Combat "Fake News"

May 12, 2017

The European Parliament recently held a debate during which multiple Members called for government regulation to combat "fake news" on social media platforms and funding for law enforcement to clamp down on online "hate speech," while others expressed concern that social media giants would become the arbiters of determining what is unacceptable content.
Iran Sees Levant as Strategic Beachhead

May 11, 2017

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has used its penetration into Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon as the preliminary stage in a broader strategy of exporting its Shiite version of Islamism, with the objective of establishing a geopolitical corridor between Iran and the Mediterranean and an ideological beachhead to project radical Islamism in Eurasia and Africa.
Al-Shabaab Progresses 25 Years After "Black Hawk Down"

May 11, 2017

A quarter-century after downing US Black Hawk military helicopters in the battle to push the al-Qaeda affiliate from Somalia, al-Shabaab is making headway in its ongoing war to capture the geostrategically important state in the Horn of Africa.
IS Beheads Russian Serviceman in Syria

May 11, 2017

A newly released Islamic State (IS) video shows the beheading of a Russian serviceman captured in Syria, accompanied by IS claims that the victim was an "agent of Russian state intelligence."
Austrian Court Orders Facebook Removal of "Hate Speech"

May 10, 2017

Reuters reports that an appeals court in Vienna has ordered social media giant Facebook to remove from its global platform a post about the leader of the country's Green Party the court considered to be "hate speech," as well as any identical posts.
IS Leaders Announce Planned Attacks on Egyptian Christians

May 09, 2017

Leaders of Sinai Province, the Egypt branch of the Islamic State (IS), announced the jihadi group's plans to launch more attacks on the country's Christian population, while warning Egyptian Muslims to avoid Christian gatherings and sites.
Syrian Refugee Camps Serve as IS Havens

May 09, 2017

Syrian refugees trapped in makeshift refugee camps in no-man's land at the Jordanian border face the double threats of massive shortages in humanitarian assistance and Islamic State (IS) penetration of the camps for use as jihadi havens from which to launch continued attacks in Syria.
Olympic Convictions Point to IS Activity in South America

May 09, 2017

The sentencing by Brazilian authorities of eight nationals convicted of plotting a chemical attack at last summer's Olympic Games to support the Islamic State (IS) has indicated the jihadi group's organized activities in South America.
IS Magazine Justifies Attacks on Coptic Churches

May 09, 2017

The newest edition of the Islamist State's (IS) propaganda magazine, Rumiyah, is dedicated to justification for the recent attacks targeting Egypt's Coptic Orthodox Christian Churches on Palm Sunday and St. Catherine's Monastery in the Egyptian Sinai.