Forbes by Nikita Malik I was studying counter terrorism prosecutions in the United Kingdom recently.Individuals who commit terrorism-related offenses often have political, religious, racial, or ideological motivations. These are different from typical criminal motivations, which may be for personal gain or revenge, for example.Over the years, a number of offenses and powers have been designed to counter the activities of terrorists. Examples of terrorism offenses include, but are not limited to: preparation of terrorist acts, collecting information, dissemination of terrorist publications, and other common offenses including membership or support of a proscribed organization, encouragement of terrorism, or attendance at a place for terrorist training.I found that in 2018 to date, there have been 25 counter terrorism prosecutions. 20 of these have had some element of the internet or technology involved – whether to promote and disseminate terrorist material, communicate, or spread hatred and religious controversy.20% of the cases to do...

Fox News By Hollie McKay Iran continues to wreak havoc in the Middle East by allowing Al Qaeda to maintain a "facilitation base" within the Islamic Republic's borders, according to the U.S State Department’s annual Country Reports on Terrorism.The report, released this week, reinforces assessments published in years past that not only does Iran enable Al Qaeda to conduct global operations from within its borders, but also remains "unwilling to bring to justice senior Al Qaeda members residing in Iran and has refused to publicly identify the members in its custody.”On the surface, it would seem that Shia-dominant Iran would hardly have an incentive to partner with the Sunni-led Al Qaeda. But analysts are hardly surprised by the findings of the report. “This has been known within the U.S. intelligence community for years. Although Iran and Al Qaeda are at odds in Syria and Yemen, the Iranian regime has allowed...

Center for Strategic & International Studies Sarah BastVisiting Fellow, International Security Program With the shift in national security priorities to near-peer competitors like China and Russia, and with the Islamic State’s (IS) loss of most of its territory in Iraq and Syria, policymakers do not discuss terrorism as frequently as they once did. While there has been a change of emphasis, there are a few conversations on terrorism that policymakers still should have with the public. This commentary suggests four topics for those necessary conversations. 1) Terrorists almost certainly will strike the United States again. Terrorists remain intent on and capable of attacking the homeland, as exemplified by the over 3,000 FBI terrorism cases open nationwide. The July 2, 2018 arrest of an individual planning to attack a fireworks show in Cleveland, Ohio demonstrates this threat. The FBI has open terrorism cases in all 50 states. FBI Director Christopher Wray...

Robert Snell, The Detroit News Flint — Amor Ftouhi, a Tunisian national accused of stabbing a police officer during a terrorist attack at Bishop International Airport in Flint last year, will undergo psychiatric tests, a move that raises doubt about whether he will stand trial in November.The tests will determine if Ftouhi, 51, is competent to stand trial or suffers from diminished capacity. The upcoming tests were revealed by Ftouhi's lawyer, Joan Morgan, during a pretrial conference in federal court Tuesday.“I will be able to let the court and government know whether I would be interested in pursuing a mental-health defense,” Morgan told the judge.Ftouhi, whose outbursts and chants of “Allahu Akbar” have marked previous court appearances, was expected to attend the hearing in front of U.S. District Judge Linda Parker. There was a heavy security presence at the courthouse in downtown Flint, including a bomb-sniffing dog circling the courthouse,...

Clarion Project By Joan Swart Following spectacular ambitions and lofty successes of controlling between 20,000 and 35,000 fighters, a taxable population of seven to eight million, a land area the size of Britain in Iraq and Syria, and access to $ 1.7 billion in cash by mid-2014, the scale of ISIS’ decline was even more impressive. By October 2017, its last stronghold, Raqqa, the Syrian town that was once the de facto political capital of the self-declared caliphate, fell in an operation led by the Syrian Democratic Forces. These relentless military campaigns forced the Islamic State into increasingly diminished, fragmented rural areas, its ability to control resources and coordinate operations crippled. Read more to find out how ISIS spreads its tentacles…As with other groups that have overplayed their hands before them, the Islamic State had to change its tactics to stay relevant. New Islamic State StrongholdsNeeding continued presence and conquest...