Seb Gorka Orders Europe to Harbo[u]r His Kind of Terrorists - emptywheel

"Currently we face three major types of terror groups: Narcoterrorists and Transnational Gangs Legacy Islamist Terrorists Violent Left-Wing Extremists, including Anarchists and Anti-Fascists Aside from sheer dangerousness, Seb's exclusion of far right terrorists is especially curious given that DOJ just invoked the CIPA process (reflecting the existence of classified evidence, and by extension a foreign nexus) in the case of white supremacist Payton Gendron who, in 2022, murdered 11 people in Buffalo."

"Seb won't protect Americans from terrorists whose ideology he significantly shares. That illogical stance looks even more insane when you turn to his scolding of Europe. The nations of Europe remain our preeminent and long-term counterterrorism partners. The world is safer when Europe is strong, but Europe is greatly threatened and is both a terror target and an incubator of terror threats."

"Terrorists often seek to attack European nations to undermine their democratic institutions and their ties to the United States. Yet, a conglomerate of nefarious actors - al Qaeda, ISIS, cartels, and state actors - have freely exploited Europe's weak borders and diminished CT resources to turn Europe into a permissive operating environment for plotting against Europeans and Americans."

"It is unacceptable that wealthy NATO allies can serve as financial, logistical, and recruitment hubs for terrorists. Europe still has an opportunity to change its individual and collective counterterrorism destiny if it recognizes the actual threat and takes action now. Unfettered mass migration has been the transmission b"

The counterterrorism strategy released by the Trump White House is described as excluding far-right terrorist threats while emphasizing an alleged anti-fascist threat. Three major categories of terror groups are identified: narcoterrorists and transnational gangs, legacy Islamist terrorists, and violent left-wing extremists including anarchists and anti-fascists. The exclusion is criticized as inconsistent with a DOJ case involving a white supremacist attacker, where classified evidence and a foreign nexus were invoked. The strategy is also criticized for refusing to protect Americans from terrorists whose ideology is said to align with the strategist. Europe is characterized as a long-term counterterrorism partner that faces threats as both a target and an incubator, with terrorists exploiting weak borders and reduced counterterrorism resources. The text argues that wealthy NATO allies can function as financial, logistical, and recruitment hubs for terrorists and that action is needed now.

Read at emptywheel