ISIS – Page 5 – Responsible for Equality And Liberty (R.E.A.L.)

American ISIS – Garland, Texas Attack

CNN Security reporter Jim Sciutto reported on December 4, 2015 that the Garland, Texas terrorists Elton Simpson and Nadir Soofi also pledged allegiance to ISIS. Elton Simpson and Nadir Soofi attacked the at the Curtis Culwell Center in Garland, Texas on May 3, 2015, with the goal of disrupting an event inside and killing one of the event participants. They shot a security guard in the ankle. Both Elton Simpson and Nadir Soofi were shot and killed by police.

On Twitter, minutes prior to the attack, one of the gunmen posted “May Allah accept us as mujahideen” with the hashtag #texasattack. He wrote that both attackers had pledged allegiance to “Amirul Mu’mineen”, a likely reference to ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. The statements also requested others to follow an ISIS propagandist, Junaid Hussain, on Twitter. After the shooting, Hussain wrote: “Allahu Akbar!!!! 2 of our brothers just opened fire.

Screen shot of Garland, TX Terrorists (Source CNN Twitter)

San Bernardino: Jewish Victim Threatened Day Before Terrorist Attack

One of the victims of the San Bernardino, California terrorist attack had received a threatening message the day before the December 2, 2015 attack. The day before the terrorist attack, according to a report by the Philadelphia Inquirer, victim Nicholas Thalasinos reportedly “had posted about a threat he had received that included the words ‘you will die and never see Israel.’ ” Nicholas Thalasinos was a Messianic Jew.

Nicholas Thalasinos, Messianic Jew, was killed in San Bernardino terrorist attack - he received a threat the day before "you will die and never see Israel" - he objected to ISIS extremist views (Source: Facebook) — Nicholas Thalasinos, Messianic Jew, was killed in San Bernardino terrorist attack – he received a threat the day before “you will die and never see Israel” – he objected to ISIS extremist views (Source: Facebook)

In addition, TIME Magazine reports that Kuuleme Stephens said “he happened to call 52-year-old Nicholas Thalasinos while he was at work and having a discussion with Syed Farook.” TIME Magazine reports that “they had a heated conversation about Islam two weeks before the attack.” TIME Magazine’s interview also added comments from Kuuleme Stephens that “[s]he added that Farook said Americans don’t understand Islam.”

Nicholas Thalasinos’ wife, Jennifer Thalasinos, lives in another part of the country and was contacted by the New York Times. According to the New York Times, “[i]n a phone interview, Jennifer Thalasinos said that her husband of nine years had been friendly with Mr. Farook, and that they were part of the same ‘little group’ of employees. ‘He had worked with him,’ Ms. Thalasinos said of her husband. ‘He had talked about him. Nothing negative.'” The New York Times added “‘My husband was very outspoken about ISIS and all of these radicalized Muslims,’ she said, adding, ‘If he would’ve thought that somebody in his office was like that, he would’ve said something.'”

Los Angeles News KTLA Channel 5 reported that Syed Farook “apparently was radicalized and in touch with people being investigated by the FBI for international terrorism, law enforcement officials said Thursday.” CNN reported that “Farook himself had talked by phone and on social media with more than one person being investigated for terrorism, law enforcement officials said. The communications were ‘soft connections’ in that they weren’t frequent, one law enforcement official said. It had been a few months since Farook’s last back-and-forth with these people, who officials said were not considered high priority.”

Los Angeles CBS reported that Syed Farook and Tashfeen Malik were reportedly viewing ISIS propaganda, stating that “[a] source also told CBS News that the pair were looking at ISIS propaganda online.”
CNN reported that the San Bernarino police chief addressed “the discovery of hundreds of rounds of ammunition in their rented black SUV as well as in their apartment. Authorities also found 12 pipe bombs there, as well as hundreds of tools that could be used to construct IEDs or pipe bombs,’ the chief said.”

Per the Clarion-Ledger, the San Bernardino police chief reported that “a search of the couple’s home turned up 2,000 9mm rounds, more than 2500 .223-caliber rounds and “several hundred” 22 long rifle rounds, as well as 12 pipe bombs and tools for making more explosive devices. He said the pair had rented their black SUV getaway car several days earlier and were supposed to return it on the day of the assault.”

The New York Times reports that “[i]nside the the small townhouse where the couple returned after the shooting, investigators found what they termed a fairly large “dedicated work space” and several tools that appeared to have been used to create pipe bombs, according to law enforcement officials. Along with the dozen devices that were in the home, the authorities found smokeless powder, the officials said. That substance is most often found in bullets but can also be used to set off pipe bombs. The Boston Marathon bombers used that type of substance to ignite their devices.”

Responsible for Equality And Liberty (R.E.A.L.) stands in unified support for the Universal Human Rights of all of our fellow human beings of every identity group, with respect for their human rights, dignity, and security. We will also defy those extremists ideologies that seek the destruction of such rights, dignity, and security, especially those who use cold-blooded tactics of murder and mayhem to enforce their political will. We will always recognize such acts of violence as nothing other than Terrorism.

ISIS in America – Legal Status of Recruits

The George Washington University Program on Extremism has issued a report on “ISIS in America,” which we urge all to read. The report is consistent with Responsible for Equality And Liberty (R.E.A.L.)’s October 2015 report on American ISIS terrorists in numerous states, and provides significant analytical information.

R.E.A.L. provides a snapshot from this report on the legal status of ISIS America recruits, including showing concentrations of arrests (which does not necessarily equate to concentration of recruits). The main point is that “56 individuals were arrested in 2015, the largest number of terrorism arrests in a single year since September 2001.” As R.E.A.L. pointed out in October 2015, this appears to represent the ability to stop just a small fraction of ISIS American recruits.

Cowardly ISIS Terrorists Claim Responsibility for Bangladesh Mosque Attack

Once again, Responsible for Equality And Liberty (R.E.A.L.) has learned that the ISIS terrorist group has claimed responsibility for another murderous attack, and once again, they have attacked another Islamic mosque, this time in in Bogra, Bangladesh. Terrorist gunmen came into a Shiite mosque during evening prayers on Thursday November 26, 2015, and shot at the 20 Muslim worshippers, killing 1 and wounding 3. The Bogra mosque is about 125 miles northwest of Dhaka, in Bangladesh. In the ISIS attack on the Muslim mosque in Bogra, reports state the ISIS terrorists killed the muezzin and injured the imam.

CNN reported on November 27, 2015: “ISIS — a Sunni extremist group that’s taken over vast swaths of Syria and Iraq and has been tied to terror attacks across Asia, Africa and Europe — claimed credit for the attack in a statement distributed online by supporters.”

ISIS Terrorist Attack on Muslim Mosque in Bogra, Bangladesh - November 26, 2015 — ISIS Terrorist Attack on Muslim Mosque in Bogra, Bangladesh – November 26, 2015

ISIS previously claimed responsibility for an October 24, 2015 terrorist attack on a gathering of Shiite Muslims in Dhaka, Bangladesh, which killed a 14 year old boy and wounded more than 50 other people. Five bombs were reportedly thrown at the Muslim procession, which police described as “explosive devices and almost like grenades and fitted with batteries.”

ISIS Terrorist Bomb Attack on Shiite Muslim Procession in Dhaka, Bangladesh, October 24, 2015 (Source AFP)

Let us make sure that the world knows – THIS is how ISIS treats Muslims – both Shiite and Sunni. The children, women, elderly, poor, the helpless – this is the “revolution” that they would bring… of misery, death, and destruction to Muslim people.

Another recent attack was the shooting of an Italian priest in Dinajpur on November 18, 2015.

November 19, 2015 - An Italian priest sits wounded as he is treated after being shot in Dinajpur. (Source: AFP) — November 19, 2015 – An Italian priest sits wounded as he is treated after being shot in Dinajpur. (Source: AFP)

The ISIS terrorist group has boasted of previous attacks in Bangladesh before. This included the September 2015 shooting of Italian national Cesare Tavella (an aid worker fighting to stop hunger).

At the beginning of October 2015, R.E.A.L. reported on this such attacks including a growing number of attacks on Christians, including our reference: “While the ISIS terrorist group claimed responsibility for the murder of Cesare Tavella and the murder of Kunio Hoshi, the Bangladesh government states this was the responsibility of a ‘Bangladesh internal opposition’ group. The Japan Times reports that Bangladeshi Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan said: ‘Oh, it’s absolutely rubbish, there is no IS in the country, no way. Why would IS do this here? These are incidents for creating instability in the country.’ “

ISIS – The Enemy of Human Rights for all Humanity

To those who have forgotten, Responsible for Equality And Liberty (R.E.A.L.) would like to provide a reminder of the actions of the ISIS terrorist group’s common goals in their attack on our Shared Universal Human Rights, and willingness to attack, brutalize, and murder people from every segment of society. We must not forget continuing terrorist attacks by ‪‎ISIS‬ extremist ‪‎terrorist group target both Muslims and Non-Muslims – killing people around the world. The ISIS terrorist group is principally a threat to our Universal Human Rights, Dignity, and Security, and must be JOINTLY rejected by people of all faiths, all nationalities, all political groups, and all identity groups.

The ISIS war is against ALL of ‪Humanity‬: ‪‎Muslims‬ – ‪‎Christians‬ – ‪Jews‬ – ‪‎Hindus‬ – ‪Buddhists‬ – ‪‎Secular‬ – EVERY group. It doesn’t matter what your nationality is, your ethnic group, your race, your sex, your age. It doesn’t matter if you are young or old, man or woman, strong or weak, black or white, gay or straight, this enemy of Our Shared Universal Human Rights – has persecuted and brutally murdered people of every identity group, every religion, and from nations around the world.

This ISIS enemy has declared war on our Universal Human Rights and on the people of Earth.

We rarely see true enemies of ‪‎Human Rights‬ – but in ISIS – this is exactly what we face.

People of the nations of Earth – STAND UNITED – against this enemy of human rights.

Illinois – American ISIS American Recruits – Edmonds Cousins

On Wednesday, March 25, 2015, the FBI arrested two men involved as American recruits of the ISIS terrorist organization, from Aurora, Illinois. The two ISIS American recruits arrested by the FBI were: Army National Guard Specialist Hasan Edmonds, 22, a U.S. citizen, and his cousin Jonas Edmonds, 29, a U.S. citizen. They were “arrested without incident at Chicago Midway International Airport by members of the Chicago FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF) while attempting to fly to Cairo, Egypt.” “Both defendants were charged in a criminal complaint filed yesterday in U.S. District Court of the Northern District of Illinois with one count of conspiring to provide material support and resources to a foreign terrorist organization.”

Army National Guard Specialist Hasan Edmonds also wrote about his desire to conduct a terrorist attack on the United States of America, similar to the attacks on Paris.

In the arrest complaint, Army National Guard Specialist Hasan Edmonds planned to use his military training to use to fight on behalf of ISIS terrorist organization, and planned to travel “from Chicago and arrive in Cairo, Egypt, with layovers in Detroit and Amsterdam.”

In addition, they plotted a terrorist against the United States of America. The FBI reports: “As alleged in the complaint, both defendants also planned for Jonas Edmonds to carry out an act of terrorism in the United States after Hasan Edmonds departed. In particular, both defendants met with an FBI undercover employee and presented a plan to carry out an armed attack against a U.S. military facility in northern Illinois, an installation where Hasan Edmonds had been training. Jonas Edmonds asked the FBI undercover employee to assist in the attack and explained that they would use Hasan Edmonds’ uniforms and the information he supplied about how to access the installation and target officers for attack.”

As the New Yorker also reported on their case, Jonas Edmonds wrote “about ‘bring[ing] the pain to them here,’ maximizing ‘damage and mayhem,’ and ‘something like the brother in Paris did.’ ”

The FBI reports that the two men were indicted on April 3, 2015: “Conspiring to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.”

On November 19, 2015, the Chicago Tribune reported that both men pled guilty. The Chicago Tribune reports: “Two Aurora cousins who had allegedly aligned themselves with the Islamic State terror organization intend to plead guilty next month to charges alleging they plotted to carry out an attack earlier this year on the Joliet Armory. In a brief court hearing Thursday, a lawyer for Jonas and Hasan Edmonds said both are finalizing written plea agreements with prosecutors. U.S. District Judge John Lee set separate hearings next month for the two to plead guilty. The indictment charges both with conspiring to provide material support and resources to Islamic State.” “Federal agents had been tracking them since late last year when Hasan Edmonds exchanged Facebook messages about his desire to join Islamic State with an agent posing as a militant, according to the complaint.”

Hasan Edmonds (left), an Army National Guard specialist, and his cousin ,Jonas Edmonds (right), are charged with a conspiracy in which Hasan would travel overseas to join the ISIS terrorist group, while Jonas would coordinate an attack on the National Guard facility where Hasan had trained. (Source: CBS)

Responsible for Equality And Liberty (R.E.A.L.) stands in support of our universal human rights for all, and we stand in defiance against those, including terrorist and hate groups, which seek to attack such universal human rights, dignity, and security for all.

Voice of Human Rights Must Challenge Khilafah Extremists from ISIS or Other Groups

When extremists have come to the United States of America to attack democracy, call for an end to our shared universal human rights, and call for a global Khilafah (as ‪#‎ISIS‬ also does), where have been the voices challenging this? There have been very few. And when the Hizb ut-Tahrir group, which shares ISIS‘ goals for a ‪#‎Khilafah‬ state, held such an event within a short drive of Washington DC, who was there to challenge such views? Just Responsible for Equality And Liberty (R.E.A.L.). If we are outraged over the terrorist attacks and threats by ISIS, we need to first start with finding the Courage of our Convictions, to defend the democratic human rights that we support. We need the voices of the rest of the nation and the world on this.

June 14, 2015 - Demonstration in Support of Democracy and Universal Human Rights by R.E.A.L. at Hizb ut-Tahrir America Extremist Conference in the Washington, DC Suburb of Springfield, Virginia — June 14, 2015 – Demonstration in Support of Democracy and Universal Human Rights by R.E.A.L. at Hizb ut-Tahrir America Extremist Conference in the Washington, DC Suburb of Springfield, Virginia

R.E.A.L.'s Jeffrey Imm Leads Protestors to Challenge Hizb ut-Tahrir America in Oak Brook, IL (Chicago suburb) — R.E.A.L.’s Jeffrey Imm Leads Protestors to Challenge Hizb ut-Tahrir America in Oak Brook, IL (Chicago suburb)

Protesters Supporting Human Rights and Democratic Freedoms in Oak Brook, IL Outside Hizb ut-Tahrir Event

Demonstrators Rejecting Hizb ut-Tahrir's View that Democracy is "Kufr" and Must Be Rejected (Hizb ut-Tahrir Oak Brook, IL) — Demonstrators Rejecting Hizb ut-Tahrir’s View that Democracy is “Kufr” and Must Be Rejected (Hizb ut-Tahrir Oak Brook, IL)

Chicago Demonstrators in 2009 - Rejecting Anti-Human Rights Message of Hizb ut-Tahrir — Chicago Demonstrators in 2009 – Rejecting Anti-Human Rights Message of Hizb ut-Tahrir

What We Believe - Responsible for Equality And Liberty's Jeffrey Imm Demonstrating Outside Hizb ut-Tahrir America's July 19, 2009 Chicago Event — What We Believe – Responsible for Equality And Liberty’s Jeffrey Imm Demonstrating Outside Hizb ut-Tahrir America’s July 19, 2009 Chicago Event

ISIS in America – Majority of 900 Investigations Involve Links to ISIS

The U.S. House of Representatives Homeland Security Committee has provided a report on November 2, 2015, on the growing threat of the ISIS terrorist organization to Western nation targets, including the United States of America. It states “vast majority of the 900 active homegrown extremist investigations involve links to ISIS.” The Homeland Security Committee maintains a terrorist threat map for the United States of America. In the Committee’s October report, it stated that 17 out of the 61 planned ISIS plots against Western targets were focused on the USA. In the November report, it increased that total number by 1 to 62 ISIS plots with 18 plots in the USA.

The U.S. House of Representatives Homeland Security Committee November 2015 reporting and Terror Threat Snapshot states:

— “ISIS is fueling an unprecedented tempo for law enforcement authorities combating the homegrown Islamist extremist threat. The vast majority of the 900 active homegrown extremist investigations involve links to ISIS. Authorities have already arrested nearly 60 individuals this year in ISIS-related cases.”

— “ISIS’s global expansion has unleashed a wave of violence around the world – including against Western targets. From July through September this year, ISIS-affiliated groups launched around 12 attacks every day killing more than 30 people worldwide. ISIS’s calls for attacks are resonating with its supporters in the West. ISIS has directed or inspired 62 plots to attack Western targets, including 18 inside the United States.”

— “Al Qaeda and its affiliates are regenerating their terror networks and capitalizing on power vacuums.Al Qaeda is exploiting the diminished American troop presence and weak local security forces in Afghanistan in order to rebuild its sanctuary. Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) has captured additional territory in Yemen amidst the ongoing war there.”

— “The massive refugee flows out of Syria remain vulnerable to terrorists seeking to exploit the crisis to infiltrate the West. American national security officials cautioned during a House Homeland Security Committee hearing on October 21 that our limited intelligence picture of the conflict zone in Syria has the potential to undermine the integrity of the U.S. refugee resettlement screening process.”

— “Guantanamo Bay detainees transferred overseas continue to pose a threat to U.S. national security interests. Nearly one in three detainees released from the facility have rejoined or are suspected of having rejoined Islamist terror groups. The Obama Administration transferred two more detainees out of Guantanamo in October.”

— “The world’s leading state sponsor of Islamist terror, Iran, continues to sow instability and is poised to gain additional resources in the coming months as a result of sanctions relief. Iran has ramped up its military involvement in Syria in conjunction with its proxies, the Assad regime, and Russia. The Obama Administration is preparing to provide Iran with additional sanctions relief under the terms of the nuclear agreement, meanwhile, the Iranian parliament vowed that the “martyr-nurturing nation of Iran” will continue chanting “Death to America.”

— “Al Qaeda and its affiliates are regenerating their terror networks and capitalizing on power vacuums. Al Qaeda is exploiting the diminished American troop presence and weak local security forces in Afghanistan in order to rebuild its sanctuary. Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) has captured additional territory in Yemen amidst the ongoing war there.”

— “Foreign fighters converging on the battlefields in Syria and Iraq pose a continuing threat to the United States and our allies. A French fighter returnee reportedly described Syria as a “factory of jihadists” trained to launch external attacks in the near future. A recent House Homeland Security Committee bipartisan task force found that security weaknesses overseas are enabling fighters to travel more freely.
The massive refugee flows out of Syria remain vulnerable to terrorists seeking to exploit the crisis to infiltrate the West. American national security officials cautioned during a House Homeland Security Committee hearing on October 21 that our limited intelligence picture of the conflict zone in Syria has the potential to undermine the integrity of the U.S. refugee resettlement screening process.

— “The world’s leading state sponsor of Islamist terror, Iran, continues to sow instability and is poised to gain additional resources in the coming months as a result of sanctions relief. Iran has ramped up its military involvement in Syria in conjunction with its proxies, the Assad regime, and Russia. The Administration is preparing to provide Iran with additional sanctions relief under the terms of the nuclear agreement, meanwhile, the Iranian parliament vowed that the “martyr-nurturing nation of Iran” will continue chanting ‘Death to America.'”

ISIS – American Recruit Mohammed Hamzah Khan Guilty

On October 4, 2014, the FBI arrested American ISIS recruit Mohammed Hamzah Khan, a 19 year old man, in the Chicago, IL suburb of Bolingbrook, for allegedly attempting to travel overseas to join a foreign terrorist organization operating inside Iraq and Syria.

On January 8, 2015, a federal grand jury indicted Mohammed Hamzah Khan, who was charged with attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in a single-count indictment. The FBI reports: “According to the complaint affidavit, a roundtrip ticket was purchased for Khan on Sept. 26 to travel from Chicago to Istanbul, departing on Saturday, and returning later this week. Law enforcement agents observed Khan passing through the security screening checkpoint Saturday afternoon at O’Hare’s international terminal. Federal agents then executed a search warrant at Khan’s residence and recovered multiple handwritten documents that appeared to be drafted by Khan and/or others, which expressed support for ISIL, the affidavit alleges. Some of those documents, including travel plans and materials referencing ISIL and jihad, are described in the complaint affidavit. Khan was initially approached by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers and was later interviewed later by FBI agents at the airport.”

On October 29, 2015 ,American ISIS recruit Mohammed Hamzah Khan pleaded guilty to one count of attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization. The U.S. Department of Justice reported: “Beginning no later than approximately February 2014, Khan used the Internet to obtain introductions to ISIL members in Syria and to assist him with traveling there to join the terrorist group, according to the plea agreement. Khan spoke with ISIL members to coordinate the logistics of his admission into ISIL-controlled territory, the plea agreement states. Khan admitted in the plea agreement that he knew ISIL had been designated by the United States as a foreign terrorist organization. Upon arriving in Syria, according to the plea agreement, Khan intended to work under the direction and control of ISIL, and be required to take any assignment ISIL gave him.”

The UK Guardian reports that: “His 17-year-old sister and 16-year-old brother were also arrested at O’Hare international airport as he tried to board a plane to Vienna en route to Istanbul, but were not charged. Khan, who lived with his parents, was described by neighbors as a polite teenager. But he left a letter expressing disgust: ‘We are all witness that the western societies are getting more immoral day by day,’ he wrote. ‘I do not want my kids being exposed to filth like this.’ ”

A sentencing hearing has been scheduled for December 3, 2015.

American ISIS recruit Mohammed Hamzah Khan, Bolingbrook, IL (Source: Facebook)

ISIS – 61 Plots Against Western Targets – 17 Against USA

The U.S. House of Representatives Homeland Security Committee has provided a report on the growing threat of the ISIS terrorist organization to Western nation targets, including the United States of America. In September 2015, the Committee released a bi-partisan “Final Report of the Task Force on Combating Terrorist and Foreign Fighter Travel.”

The U.S. House of Representatives Homeland Security Committee October 2015 reporting and Terror Threat Snapshot states:

— “Concerted efforts to stem the flow of Americans and others traveling to join jihadists overseas have largely failed. The House Homeland Security Committee’s bipartisan Foreign Fighter Task Force found that authorities have only managed to stop a tiny fraction of the hundreds of aspiring U.S. jihadists from leaving the country to join terrorists abroad. Moreover, the U.S. government lacks a strategy for combating terrorist travel, and glaring security gaps overseas are putting the American homeland in danger.”

— “Despite a year of airstrikes, the United States and its allies have failed to rollback ISIS. In fact, the group has largely maintained its core terrorist safe haven while expanding its global footprint. ISIS kept its grip on Iraq’s Anbar province as the counter-offensive to take back the key city of Ramadi was put on ‘operational pause.’ Its affiliates in Afghanistan, Egypt, Libya, and the Caucasus showed their growing strength by launching attacks or targeting local security forces over the past month.”

— “ISIS’s global campaign has fueled attacks against Western targets at an unprecedented pace. As of early October, the group has inspired or directed 61 terror attack plots against Western targets, including 17 in the United States. There have been more than twice as many ISIS-linked attack plots against Western targets in 2015 (41) than in 2014 (20). Now officials have expressed concern that ISIS may be exploiting refugee flows to enter the West undetected.”

— “The homegrown Islamist extremist threat in the United States has escalated dramatically this year. There have been more U.S.-based jihadist terror cases in 2015 than in any full year since 9/11. The number of U.S. terrorist cases involving homegrown Islamist extremists has gone from 38 in July 2010 to 127 today—more than a three-fold increase in just five years. See the Committee’s interactive Terror Threat Snapshot map, here.”