At the risk of being a typical academic tweeting about non news things during newsy times, there was an ISIS arrest in Oregon yesterday that was particularly interesting. A short thread on why.

Hawazen Sameer Mothafar, who for the last five years has been a key node for ISIS and AQIM online propaganda, was arrested. DOJ press release. https://www.justice.gov/usao-or/pr/portland-area-resident-indicted-providing-material-support-isis

From Oregon, He produced at least 32 issues of a pro ISIS newsletter.

He had some level of computer savvy. Created a bot to push out stuff on telegram.

Some of the more interesting parts was his support of a prominent AQIM member. So background on him.

AQIM watchers can correct me if I’m wrong, but the fact that an Oregon man was coordinated with a AQIM member (who was, I believe still incarcerated in Mauritania at this time in between the last jail break) is significant.

The drone part was interesting

Mothafar also helped create Facebook accounts and email addresses for ISIS members.

Mothafar was released yesterday on conditions that he not travel or use electronic devices. DOJ did not argue for detention. This is unusually for terrorism cases but they argued that Mothafar has physical disabilities and is confined to a wheelchair so detention was unneeded.

Mothafar is now the 219th US person in America charged with ISIS related activites since March 2014. You can read about the 218 others here. https://www.amazon.com/Homegrown-Alexander-Meleagrou-Hitchens-Seamus-Hughes/dp/1788314859