WASHINGTON: A study highlighting far-right extremist violence in the United States has quietly been removed from the Justice Department’s website, AFP confirmed on Tuesday.

The research, published by the National Institute of Justice, found that far-right groups are mostly involved in deadly attacks inside the US.

The research concluded that “far-right extremists have committed far more ideologically motivated homicides than far-left or radical extremists” since 1990.

This finding stands in stark contrast to comments made by senior Trump administration officials about the threat of left-wing extremism, following last week’s assassination of prominent conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

The DOJ did not respond to requests for comment on why the paper, titled What NIJ research tells us about domestic terrorism, was taken down in the days after the deadly September 10 shooting in the state of Utah.

As reported by the independent outlet 404 Media, archived versions of the Office of Justice Programmes website captured by the Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine show that the article was accessible on September 11, but no longer available the following afternoon.

Reached by AFP, one of the cited authors declined to comment on its removal.

Other studies detailing the threat of far-right extremism remain available on the department’s website.

On Monday, the White House said it would pursue an alleged left-wing “domestic terror movement” in the wake of Kirk’s killing, prompting alarm that such a campaign could be used to silence political dissent.

While federal law enforcement includes combating domestic terrorism in its remit, the United States does not maintain a list of designated “domestic terrorist organisations”.

WASHINGTON: The US has issued a fresh round Iran-related sanctions targeting individuals and entities that Washington says finance Tehran’s military, including some in Hong Kong and the United Arab Emirates, the US Treasury Department said on Tuesday.

Those targeted have helped coordinate funds transfers, including from the sale of Iranian oil, that benefit Iran’s military force, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corp (IRGC)- Quds Force and its Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics (MODAFL), Treasury said.

“Iranian ‘shadow banking’ networks like these—run by trusted illicit financial facilitators—abuse the international financial system, and evade sanctions by laundering money through overseas front companies and cryptocurrency,” it said in a statement.

US sanctions generally prohibit American individuals and companies from engaging in any business transactions with those targeted.

This is a developing story and is being updated with more details. 

Sikh pilgrims have expressed strong reaction after being barred from travelling to Pakistan, according to Indian media reports.

The Indian Ministry of Home Affairs has stopped the pilgrims from making the journey, citing prevailing tensions and security concerns between the two countries.
An advisory issued by the ministry formally prevented the travel, Indian media said.

Opposition parties and Sikh religious leaders in Indian Punjab condemned the decision. They remarked that if cricket matches could be held with Pakistan, then there was no justification for stopping Sikh pilgrims from visiting.

Sikh pilgrims were scheduled to travel to Pakistan in November for the birth anniversary of Guru Nanak.

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said the central government had no right to obstruct religious freedom, adding that if cricket matches could take place with Pakistan, it was unreasonable to stop the pilgrims.

Former Lok Sabha member Sukhbir Singh Badal urged Home Minister Amit Shah to reconsider the decision. He stressed that not granting access to Kartarpur would hurt religious sentiments and demanded the reopening of the Kartarpur Corridor.

Thousands of Sikh pilgrims come to Pakistan every year to commemorate Baisakhi and other religious holidays.

These visits are facilitated under the Pakistan-India Protocol on Visits to Religious Shrines of 1974, aimed at fostering religious harmony and cross-border understanding.

Ahead of this year’s Baisakhi festivities, the Pakistani High Commission in New Delhi issued more than 6,500 visas to Indian Sikh pilgrims, allowing them to visit revered shrines in Pakistan between April 10 and 19, including Gurdwara Panja Sahib, Gurdwara Nankana Sahib, and Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib.

It may be noted that relations between Pakistan and India have plunged to their lowest point in years following the deadly gun attack on April 22 in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), where 26 tourists, including one Nepali national, were shot dead in Pahalgam’s scenic Baisaran Valley.

India blamed Pakistan for the attack — allegations that Islamabad denies. Following that, India launched an attack on Pakistan, branded as “Operation Sindoor”, but met with a befitting response.

The Pakistani armed forces not only shot down Indian drones that came into Pakistani territory, destroyed their check posts on the border, but also shot down their fighter jets, including the French-made Rafale.

The conflict ended after United States President Donald Trump brokered a ceasefire between the arch-rival nations.