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 March 25, 2024
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 Four alleged ISIS-K members attend court hearing for Russian concert hall massacre. Photo credit: Reuters.
ISIS Terrorists Kill at Least 139 in Russian Concert Hall Attack
According to media reports, ISIS-Khorasan terrorists killed at least 139 individuals and injured more than 100 others March 22 when they stormed a concert hall near Moscow, Russia, in the country's deadliest attack in almost two decades. Gunmen in combat gear shot some of the more than 6,000 concertgoers at close range and set the venue ablaze. Fourteen hours after the massacre, authorities arrested four suspects 250 miles southwest of Moscow: Dalerdzhon Mirzoyev, 32; Saidakrami Rachabalizoda, 30; Shamsidin Fariduni, 25; and Mukhammadsobir Faizov, 19. All four attackers are reportedly from the former Soviet republic of Tajikistan. Three of the captured men pleaded guilty to terrorism charges in court March 24. Authorities have yet to confirm the fourth suspect's plea. During their court hearing, the accused appeared badly beaten and tortured, including Faizov, who reportedly slipped in and out of consciousness while in a wheelchair. ISIS-K claimed responsibility for the deadly attack in a statement on its affiliated social media channels. U.S. authorities confirmed the claim; however, the Kremlin alleged that the perpetrators planned to flee to Ukraine. Ukrainian officials vehemently denied any involvement. U.S. officials warned Russian authorities in early March about a planned terrorist attack in Moscow and advised Americans to avoid large gatherings. ISIS-K is the same terrorist group that killed 13 American service members at Abbey Gate during the hasty U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021.
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 Robert Justus (left) and Protective Services Officer Dave Patrick Underwood (right). Photo credit: Meaww.
Anti-Government Extremist Handed Life Sentence for Security Guard Killing
A federal judge sentenced an anti-government extremist to life in prison March 15 for his role in the fatal drive-by shooting of a security guard, who was protecting an Oakland, California, federal building during racial justice protests in 2020. Robert Alvin Justus Jr., 34, of Millbrae, California, and his co-defendant, Steven Carrillo, who previously pleaded guilty, are affiliated with the Boogaloo movement, a loosely structured anti-government faction convinced of an impending second U.S. civil war. Last year, a jury convicted Justus of aiding and abetting murder and attempted murder for his involvement in the 2020 shooting death of officer Dave Patrick Underwood and the nonfatal shooting of the victim's partner, Sombat Mifovic. Carrillo, a former U.S. Air Force sergeant, admitted to shooting the guards with an AR-15-style rifle from the back of a white Ford Econoline van Justus was driving. Days after the shooting, Carrillo ambushed Santa Cruz County sheriff’s deputies who were responding to a report of a van containing firearms and bomb-making materials. During the encounter, Carillo shot and killed an officer and injured several other law enforcement officials. In a plea deal, Carillo received 41 years in prison for murdering Underwood and a life sentence without parole for killing the sheriff’s deputy.
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 A view of the border in El Paso, Texas. Photo credit: Yahoo! News.
Hizballah Terrorist Caught at Border Intended to Make a Bomb, Head to New York
On March 9, authorities apprehended a self-identified Hizballah affiliate and undocumented Lebanese migrant near the southern U.S. border, where he reportedly admitted his intent to construct an explosive upon reaching New York. Following his capture near El Paso, Texas, Basel Bassel Ebbadi, 22, told U.S. border patrol agents he was “going to try to make a bomb.” He later said he was attempting to flee Lebanon and Hizballah because he “didn’t want to kill people” on their behalf. "Once you’re in, you can never get out,” Ebbadi allegedly said. The detainee trained with Hizballah for seven years and served as an active member guarding weapons locations for another four years, according to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement documents. Ebbadi said his training focused on “jihad” and killing individuals who were not “Muslim.” He also admitted to using a fake identity in Sweden, Panama and in Ecuador, where he claimed his father resides. Ebbadi had originally hoped to go to New York and then move around the country. Authorities transferred Ebbadi to the Tactical Terrorism Response Team after he allegedly made “terroristic threats to personnel.”
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The ‘Terrorism At a Glance’ product is a weekly summary of current events intended to highlight terrorism incidents and trends. The content is aggregated from open-source information and considered a snapshot in time of reporting from news agencies, government press releases, research studies, etc. The product is intended for informational purposes only and does not reflect the opinion of NJOHSP or the State of New Jersey. For a list of aggregated sources, please visit NJOHSP’s podcast episode notes at njohsp.gov/connect/podcasts.
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