(New York, N.Y.) — The Counter Extremism Project (CEP) reports on the methods used by extremists and terrorist groups on the Internet to spread propaganda and incite violence. Last week, ISIS acknowledged the Bondi Beach Terrorist Attack via the group’s al-Naba newsletter. ISIS online supporters celebrated the attack and the perpetrators, and also noted that news organizations widely disseminated the al-Naba article. Online neo-Nazi and white supremacist propagandists blamed Jews for the attack and celebrated antisemitic violence.
ISIS supporters also celebrated the ambush of U.S. and Syrian soldiers in Palmyra. The pro-ISIS online group al-Saqri Foundation rereleased a guide for constructing and using commercially available quadcopter drones. Also, last week, a pro-ISIS French-language propaganda group called for graphic designers and video editors to contribute to the media center. In total, ISIS claimed credit for 70 attacks worldwide between November 23 and December 20.
Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent released a video on December 7, commemorating the war in Afghanistan, celebrating Taliban and al-Qaeda fighters, and encouraging participation in terrorism and global armed conflicts.
CEP researchers reported an X account belonging to the neo-Nazi group Blood Tribe, which posted propaganda footage from a recent demonstration and march. The platform did not remove the account. Two white supremacist Youth Clubs encouraged their online followers to patronize a Telegram channel webstore, noting that they would receive some of the proceeds. Finally, in November, CEP researchers found 27 different white supremacist, neo-Nazi, or extreme right Telegram chats or channels that contained advertisements.
ISIS and Its Supporters Celebrate Bondi Beach Terrorist Attack, Encourage Additional Attacks, Note Importance of Online Presence; Neo-Nazis Celebrate Attack and Blame Jews
On December 18, ISIS, via its weekly al-Naba newsletter, officially praised the perpetrators of the December 14 Bondi Beach terrorist attack, where a father and son murdered 15 people and injured approximately 40 others, in an attack targeting Jews celebrating Hanukkah. While the terrorist group has not officially claimed responsibility for the attack, the al-Naba editorial placed the Bondi Beach assault within the history of violence inspired by ISIS propaganda and ideology, and praised the two attackers for having “answered the call and carried out the recommendation to target holidays and gatherings.”
The editorial also noted that ISIS fighters, operatives, and supporters have sought to attack Jews and others around the world. The article encouraged additional lone-actor attacks, noting that their fight had entered a stage focused on advocating attacks online and that this strategy did not require significant resources. The editorial also specifically called for attacks in Belgium during the holiday season, either in a sincere attempt to provoke violence, force the government to increase security expenditures, or a combination of both.
The December 18 editorial was similar to an al-Naba piece from January 9, noting ISIS’s acknowledgement of the 2025 New Year’s Eve attack by an ISIS supporter in New Orleans.
Following the December 14 attack, ISIS online supporters celebrated the act of terrorism, noted the presence of ISIS flags used by the attackers, and spread videos taken by bystanders that showed the assault in progress. Other users, including ISIS supporters on TikTok, posted photos glorifying the attackers. In a post on RocketChat, an ISIS supporter praised the two attackers and encouraged others to follow in their footsteps. The same day as the attack, a different supporter of the terrorist group noted on RocketChat that while the attack was virtuous, ISIS “would likely not claim this because there isn’t a video-based evidence of a bayah [pledge of allegiance].” Online ISIS supporters claimed that the organization had “implicitly” claimed responsibility for the attack, and one channel noted with approval that the December 18 issue of al-Naba was “one of the most widely circulated issues [of al-Naba].”
White supremacists and neo-Nazis praised the attack in a limited number of cases, endorsing the killing of Jews. In other instances, extreme right propagandists blamed Jews for being responsible for the attack, either alleging that the attack was a false flag or claiming that Jews were responsible for Australia’s immigration policies that allowed one of the perpetrators to enter the country. Australian neo-Nazi Thomas Sewell contended that the attack was the result of the “import [of] warring tribes from outside our civilisation [sic],” and called for mass deportations. In a poll on a Telegram channel belonging to a prominent neo-Nazi propagandist, asking who was to blame for the attack, 77% of respondents voted for “Jews,” 21% voted for “Muslims,” and 2% voted for “Nazis,” out of a total of over 2,800 votes cast. A Telegram channel belonging to a white supremacist Youth Club posted on December 14 that Jews should “rot in… hell,” while a channel that is frequently reposted by members of a Pacific Northwest Active Club celebrated the attack, posting a video of the aftermath of the attack with the accompanying text “All I want for Christmas is dead Jews.”
Editorial in ISIS’s al-Naba newsletter on December 18, praising the Bondi Beach attack.
ISIS Supporters Celebrate Palmyra Attack
ISIS online supporters celebrated the December 13 killing of two U.S. soldiers and a U.S. civilian working as a translator in Palmyra, Syria, allegedly by an ISIS-affiliated gunman who was killed in the resulting shootout. The attacker was allegedly a former member of the Syrian internal security forces, before he came under suspicion for supporting ISIS. The terrorist group’s supporters noted the reaction from Syrian news analysts on television and the U.S. restrictions on Syrians entering the U.S. A pro-ISIS Telegram channel called for additional attacks, stating that it was forbidden to protect Americans in Syria, and noting that anyone killed doing so could not be considered a martyr. Another pro-ISIS channel reported that “the blood of Americans [was] mixed with that of al-Julani’s [President al-Sharaa’s] [soldiers] in the Homs desert.”
ISIS had previously called for members of the Syrian transitional government to join the terrorist group in the November 13 issue of the al-Naba newsletter.
Pro-ISIS Group Rereleases Guide for Quadcopter Drones
On December 14, the pro-ISIS online group al-Saqri Foundation rereleased a guide for using commercially available quadcopter drones and components. The 26-page manual included instructions for building quadcopter drones, including recommendations for parts and computer hardware, wiring diagrams, and suggestions for outfitting the drones with explosives. The guide noted that it was intended to instruct recipients to use drones “in a real combat scenario, for dropping bombs, reconnaissance, or other functions.”
CEP researchers first located the manual on January 6, 2025. The updated release on December 14, distributed through pro-ISIS channels on Element and on a pro-ISIS website, included a new link to contact the al-Saqri Foundation and access the group’s content. The al-Saqri Foundation primarily releases instructions for synthesizing homemade explosives and the use of poisons.
Partial cover of the al-Saqri Foundation quadcopter drone guide rereleased on December 14. Screenshot taken on December 17.
French Language Pro-ISIS Group Announces Call for Graphic Designers and Video Editors
On December 17, the French-language pro-ISIS propaganda group An Nur Media Center announced it was recruiting graphic designers and video editors. The post on RocketChat encouraged users to contact An Nur via a Telegram bot. An Nur is part of the pro-ISIS translation network Fursan al-Tarjuma, which translates the group’s official propaganda into multiple languages. The call for graphic designers and video editors suggests the group is either seeking to create more original French-language propaganda content or to present translated official ISIS content using video clips and graphics.
CEP researchers reported the Telegram bot to the platform on December 17. Telegram removed the bot within 48 hours.
An Nur Media Center call for propagandists. Screenshot taken on December 18.
Roundup of Claimed ISIS Attacks
Between November 23 and December 20, ISIS claimed credit for 70 attacks. ISIS claimed responsibility for 20 attacks between November 23 and 29 (eight in Pakistan, four in the Democratic Republic of Congo, three in Mozambique, four in Syria, and one in Pakistan); 12 between November 30 and December 6 (six in Nigeria, three in Syria, two in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and one in Somalia); 24 between December 7 and 13 (six in Nigeria, six in Syria, five in the Democratic Republic of Congo, three in Mozambique, two in Iraq, one in Mali, and one attack in Niger); and 14 between December 14 and December 20 (seven attacks in Nigeria, three in Syria, two in the Democratic Republic of Congo, one in Cameroon, and one in Iraq).
Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent Video Praises Taliban and Al Qaeda Fighters in Afghanistan
On December 7, As-Sahab Media, affiliated with al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS), released a six-minute video praising Taliban and al-Qaeda fighters in Afghanistan. As-Sahab noted the presence of Taliban and Taliban-allied foreign fighters in Afghanistan in 2001 from Russia, the Middle East, Europe, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and—in the case of John Walker Lindh—the United States. Footage included the Battle of Qala-i-Jangi and the Dasht-e-Leili Massacre in 2001, when between several hundred and two thousand surrendered Taliban and al-Qaeda prisoners were executed or suffocated in shipping containers. The video also praised Taliban and al-Qaeda fighters and contained footage from Logar Province in 2012, as well as footage of fighters and commanders killed during the war from 2001 to 2021. The video also included a commemoration of Taliban commander and Haqqani Network affiliate Hamdullah Mukhlis, who was killed in an ISIS-K attack in November 2021. The propaganda film praised the concept of religiously mandated fighting in Afghanistan and the Taliban’s eventual takeover of the country. The video concluded by noting the importance of fighting worldwide, not just in Afghanistan.
X Refuses to Remove Account Connected to Neo-Nazi Group Blood Tribe
On December 17, CEP researchers reported an account on the X platform belonging to the neo-Nazi group Blood Tribe. The account, which was created on December 15, posted a 32-minute propaganda video on December 16 showcasing the group’s December 6 rally and march in Little Rock, Arkansas, which included approximately 20 group members. The video included a speech promoting white supremacy from Blood Tribe’s leader, Christopher Pohlhaus, a banner promoting segregation and antisemitism, swastika flags, and racist statements. The video had received over 14,000 views on X within 2 days of being posted.
The X account, which had over 300 followers three days after its creation, included a link to a Blood Tribe website. X has previously removed Blood Tribe affiliated accounts, including an account belonging to Pohlhaus, where he encouraged harassment of a federal judge who had ruled against a different neo-fascist group. In January 2025, Pohlhaus noted that he wanted to increase his group’s presence on X.
CEP reported the Blood Tribe account on December 17 for violating X’s policies on hate and hateful imagery. Approximately 24 hours later, X responded, stating that the account was not in violation of their policies.
Blood Tribe post on X. The platform ruled that the account, which posted an approximately 30-minute neo-Nazi propaganda video, was not in violation of X’s policies. Screenshot taken on December 18.
Two Youth Clubs Announce Links to Online White Supremacist Clothing Store
In posts on Telegram, two Youth Clubs affiliated with the white supremacist Active Club movement announced that they would receive funds from an online clothing store, which is taking orders with delivery in 2026. The white supremacist clothing store sells t-shirts and sweatshirts on Telegram that feature various neo-Nazi and extreme right-aligned symbols and motifs. The store does not appear to have a website or social media pages outside of Telegram. A post on the channel, created on December 8, announced that orders should be sent to the store’s Proton Mail account or to a Telegram contact, and that the proceeds from sales would “go to national socialist organizations.”
One of the Youth Clubs is in California, and the other is in Arizona and New Mexico. Both clubs noted that they were assisting with the web shop and that their followers should only check out the store if they were “Aryan.”
Youth Clubs are Active Club-affiliated entities for boys under the age of 18 and have been promoted by several white supremacist Telegram channels. The Telegram-based clothing store, by comparison, claims its items are intended for individuals 18 years of age or older.
Advertisements Found on 27 Extreme Right Telegram Channels in November
In November, CEP researchers found advertisements on 27 different Telegram chats or channels. Eight of the 27 accounts were affiliated with Active Club chapters or affiliated entities in Canada, Denmark, the U.S., and Sweden. Additional channels were connected with the neo-fascist group Patriot Front; a relatively new British neo-Nazi organization that has targeted a Jewish council leader and his family; a Canadian white supremacist propagandist; a channel connected to a neo-Nazi accelerationist website; a channel that promotes eco-fascism and Ted Kaczsynski; a neo-Nazi and antisemitic propaganda group from Australia; and various white supremacist and neo-Nazi propaganda channels and those belonging to influencers within the extreme right online space.
The 27 accounts are slightly fewer than in October, when CEP researchers found advertisements on 31 different chats or channels. Telegram allows channels with over 1,000 subscribers to include advertisements, with payments made in the company’s TON (Telegram Open Network) cryptocurrency. Telegram channel administrators receive half of the revenue for ad placement.
An advertisement for Telegram’s TON cryptocurrency in a channel promoting eco-fascism and Ted Kaczynski. Screenshot taken on November 2.