INTELWIRE Weekly Brief, 7/17/15. Chattanooga, CVE Perspectives and More

CHATTANOOGA SHOOTINGS

Gunman Kills 4 Marines at Military Site in Chattanooga
A 24-year-old Kuwaiti-born gunman opened fire on a military recruiting station on Thursday, then raced to a second military site where he killed four United States Marines, prompting a federal domestic terrorism investigation.

Tennessee Gunman Mohammod Youssuf Abdulazeez: ‘Life Is Short and Bitter’
On Thursday, the authorities say that Mohammod Youssuf Abdulazeez, 24, killed four Marines and wounded at least three other people. He himself died in what the United States attorney here called a potential act of “domestic terrorism.”

4 Marines killed, a dead suspect and questions of motive
Suspected shooter Mohammad Youssuf Abdulazeez, 24, is dead, the FBI said. But -- publicly, at least -- investigators haven't said much more about him.

Chattanooga Suspect Mohammod Youssuf Abdulazeez Wasn’t on Law Enforcement Radar
The 24-year-old named by the FBI as the killer of four U.S. Marines Thursday in Chattanooga, Tenn. so far does not appear to have been on law enforcement’s radar.

RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS

Till Martyrdom Do Us Part: Gender and the ISIS Phenomenon
The recent unprecedented surge in female recruits to the terrorist organization Islamic State (ISIS) has brought this phenomenon into sharp focus. For many there remain misperceptions and misunderstandings concerning the role women play within these violent networks, often paired with engendered responses to the radicalisation of women. By Erin Marie Saltman and Melanie Smith.

PERSPECTIVES ON CVE

Countering Islamic State recruitment: You're doing it totally wrong
In a CVE context, pushing back on terrorist narratives makes intuitive sense ― it’s a way of exposing falsehoods in a very public forum. But does it work? By Christina Nemr.

Are US Gains Against Islamic Extremists' Recruiting Illusory?
U.S. efforts to crack down on would-be terrorists – and specifically Islamic State sympathizers – have produced a series of arrests and prosecutions in recent months. Still, there are deep concerns such gains may not prevent another major terrorist attack. By Jeff Seldin.

Experts weigh in (part 6): Can the United States counter ISIS propaganda?
Clint Watts, Fox fellow of the Foreign Policy Research Institute, explains why the U.S.’s current whole-of-government approach creates implementation challenges to sustaining an effective online campaign against ISIS propaganda. By Clint Watts, in response to Will McCants.

Why the Islamic State leaves tech companies torn between free speech and security
The social-media savvy of the militant group is raising difficult questions for many U.S. firms: how to preserve global platforms that offer forums for expression while preventing groups such as the Islamic State from exploiting those free-speech principles to advance their terrorist campaign. By Scott Higham and Ellen Nakashima.
ISIS WATCH

How People Are Using Technology Against ISIS
The militant group’s presence on social media is thought to play a big role in spreading its propaganda, inspiring lone-wolf attacks and recruiting foreigners to its ranks. But that doesn’t mean it’s invulnerable online.

Escaping ISIS
First-hand accounts from women who escaped the group's brutal reign.

Raped, beaten and sold: Yazidi women tell of IS abuse
Three young Yazidi women have escaped from sex slavery in the hands of the Islamic State (IS) group and travelled to London, where they told their horrific stories.

Son of Boston Police Captain Arrested as Possible Terrorist
The estranged son of a respected Boston police captain was arrested July 4 by FBI agents as part of a counter-terrorism operation against alleged ISIS-inspired domestic terrorists, federal officials told ABC News today.

A Conversation with an ISIS Suicide Bomber Logistician
For one and a half years, Abu Abdullah was responsible for organizing Islamic State's suicide bombings in Baghdad. He is one of the organization's rare leading figures to be captured alive.

Iraq violence: Islamic State 'behind Baghdad attacks'
Islamic State (IS) militants have said they were behind a spate of bomb attacks in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, which killed at least 28 people.

Cleveland-area man accused of supporting Islamic State indicted on terrorism-related charge
A 28-count indictment was filed Thursday against 38-year-old Amir Said Rahman Al-Ghazi, of Sheffield Lake. Authorities say he was arrested June 19 after he tried to buy an assault rifle from an undercover FBI agent.

TERROR WATCH

Syrian Islamists reach out to the U.S., but serious issues remain
Charles Lister outlines the myriad options and obstacles for dealing with the Syrian opposition.

Jabhat al-Nusra competes with Ahrar al-Sham in Idlib
Factions affiliated to the Army of Conquest have yet to agree on a unified approach to manage the province of Idlib, months after taking over it. This [lack of agreement] was exploited by Jabhat al-Nusra to fulfill its ambition of establishing an emirate of its own, ruled and managed solely by it.

So Long, Reddit
A longtime user leaves the community, explaining "The practical reality is that Reddit seems to have overtaken Stormfront as the world’s largest White Supremacy community."

Four Detained in France Over Suspected Terror Attack Plan
French police detained four people with links to Islamist extremist networks who were suspected of planning an attack against a military base in southern France.

Buy the new book ISIS: The State of Terror by Jessica Stern and J.M. Berger. 

Buy J.M. Berger's seminal book on American jihadists, Jihad Joe: Americans Who Go to War in the Name of Islam

Labels: Weekly-Brief

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