President Trump & Terrorism in the USA:threat & response

**AdamG** · 02-06-2018

An estimated 300 Americans attempted to join the Islamic State and other radical Islamist groups in Iraq and Syria, including a small number who rose to senior positions, according to the most detailed report to date on this issue.
So far, 12 of those Americans have returned home, yet none has carried out an attack on U.S. soil,* according the report released Monday by George Washington University's Program on Extremism.

Caveat: OSINT can have limitations.

The George Washington University team scoured online material, reviewed court records, spoke with government officials and interviewed some of those who returned to the U.S. after joining ISIS.

Around 50 Americans were arrested as they tried to leave the country, and never made it out of the U.S. The report was able to document 64 individuals who did reach Syria or Iraq.

*

Of the 12 Americans who returned, nine were arrested and remain in custody, the report said. Two others are known to law enforcement, but have not been detained, it added. The 12th man went back to Syria a second time and carried out a suicide bombing, the report said.

https://www.npr.org/sections/paralle...eturned-to-u-s

**AdamG** · 02-16-2018

A former teacher at a Harlem charter school stockpiled bomb-making materials and paid students to break down fireworks to extract gunpowder for the explosives, authorities say.
Christian Toro and his brother, Tyler Toro, were arrested by the FBI Thursday morning after authorities found a bomb-making manual on the teacher's school-issued laptop, 30 pounds of chemicals and household materials used to create explosives in their apartment, a diary that referenced "operation flash" and a handwritten note in a bookbag that said "under the full moon the small ones will know terror."

https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/loca...474227893.html

**AdamG** · 03-20-2018

Been watching this for two weeks, has now gotten stupid enough to warrant a posting.

Caveat: might be bomber(s) plural. Posting & followups will probably include Red Herrings, for those playing CLUE at home.

A man was killed after "some type of device" exploded on the front porch of his home in Texas on Friday, officials said.
The Austin Police Department said the victim, a man in his 40s, was found on the front porch of his home, after the explosion was reported around 7 a.m. in the city's northeast Harris Ridge neighborhood.

The incident appeared similar to one in New York in 2017, when a package explosion that was meant for a cop instead killed landlord George Wray. Federal prosecutors charged Victor Kingsley, 37, with using a weapon of mass destruction as part of a plot to get revenge against cops who arrested him in January 2014, the United States Attorney's Office announced on Wednesday. No officers lived at the home, but the landlord picked up the package that had been sitting on the porch for about a week when it exploded, police said.

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2018/03/04...stin-home.html

March 18

The latest bombing in the Texas capital was detonated by a tripwire along a residential street, police say.
The Sunday night blast was the fourth explosion in less than a month to terrify the nearly 1 million residents of Austin.

But the chief did say "these are very powerful devices" and "there's a certain level of skill required to move a device like this."

https://www.cnn.com/2018/03/13/us/au...now/index.html

Today -

A package bomb that authorities believe is linked to the recent string of Austin bombings exploded early Tuesday inside of a FedEx distribution center near San Antonio, leaving one worker with minor injuries.

Hours later, Austin police responded to a report of a suspicous package at a FedEx facility in Austin near Austin-Bergstrom International Airport.

The explosion in Schertz happened at about 1 a.m. at a FedEx facility, which is just northeast of San Antonio, FBI Special Agent Michelle Lee said. One worker was treated for minor injuries and released, according to statements issued by the Schertz Police Department and FedEx.

https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/Ex...477358853.html

**AdamG** · 03-24-2018

TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --
Officials said a 51-year-old former Bay Area resident who drove a flaming minivan loaded with propane tanks and gasoline cans through the main gate at Travis AFB has been identified.
*
A man who was killed in a fiery crash at Travis AFB's main gate has been identified as 51-year-old Hafiz Kazi.
*
During a press conference Friday, officials said the driver had no known links to terrorism.

FBI agent Sean Ragan said Hafiz Kazi was found dead inside the Kia minivan Wednesday evening shortly after rolling slowly through the main gate of Travis Air Force Base and crashing.

Ragan said five propane tanks, three one-gallon size gas cans and several lighters were found in the van along with three phones and a gym bag with "personal effects."
*
Ragan said Kazi lived throughout the San Francisco Bay Area and has lived in the United States since 1993. He said Kazi is a native of India who was a permanent legal resident of the United States.

http://abc7news.com/man-whose-vehicl...ified/3251954/

In a press conference in California, Sean Ragan, special agent in charge of the FBI's Sacramento Field Office, said officials are investigating the incident but have not made any determinations as to Kazi's motives or affiliations.

Ragan said Kazi appeared to be on fire as he approached the base in a Kia minivan. By the time emergency responders reached Kazi's car, Ragan said, he had already died. Ragan said it took some time to identify Kazi due to the condition of his body, but ultimately officials were able to ID him using fingerprints.

https://www.military.com/daily-news/...base-gate.html

**AdamG** · 03-27-2018

WASHINGTON — The FBI and military authorities said Monday that they were investigating a half-dozen suspicious packages containing explosive components, sent to military and intelligence addresses in the Washington area.

The first was discovered Monday morning at the National Defense University, at Fort McNair in southwest Washington. It was quickly rendered safe, the military said.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news...ls-say-n860236

**davidbfpo** · 04-06-2018

Via Twitter and from the George Washington University Program on Extremism their latest monthly update on ISIS in the USA. Too big a jpg to display.
Link:https://extremism.gwu.edu/sites/g/fi...8%20Update.pdf

**AdamG** · 05-22-2018

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (AP) — The son of a Boston police captain pleaded guilty Monday to plotting to use guns and homemade bombs to attack a college campus to support the Islamic State group, three years after his arrest after his father alerted the FBI.

Alexander Ciccolo's guilty plea comes a month before he was scheduled to go to trial. He faces 20 years in prison when he is sentenced in September.

Ciccolo was arrested in July 2015 after he received four guns he ordered from a person who was cooperating with the FBI. Boston police Capt. Robert Ciccolo tipped off authorities after his son said he wanted to join the Islamic State group.

Federal authorities said Ciccolo's case is a reminder that 'homegrown' radicalization remains a threat and that citizens must speak up when they become aware of a potential threat.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/cops-son-...023048060.html