Extremist Content Online: ISIS Assassination of Prominent Pakistani Religious Scholar and Reactions; Active Club Movement Expects Recruitment Bump Following 60 Minutes Interview
(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. In this week’s issue:
- Roundup of Claimed ISIS Attacks
- ISIS Condemns Assassinated Pakistani Religious Scholar as a Supporter of Democracy
- ISIS Pakistan Province Propaganda Group Calls for Monero Donations
- Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent Condemns Killing of Pakistani Religious Scholar
- Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula Releases Video Calling for Attacks in the West
- British Neo-Nazi Group Aryan Front Allegedly Disbands
- Online Bookstore on Shopify Platform Sells Christchurch Attacker Manifesto and Notorious White Supremacist Texts
- Texas Active Club Chapter Releases Propaganda Video with Higher Production Values
- Active Club Movement Celebrates Appearance of Founder on 60 Minutes on Telegram and Newly Created X Account
Roundup of Claimed ISIS Attacks
Between May 3 and 9, ISIS claimed credit for 31 attacks. 11 attacks occurred in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, seven in Mozambique, seven in Nigeria, four in Pakistan, and one each in Iraq and Cameroon.
On May 5, ISIS claimed responsibility for the assassination of a prominent Deobandi religious scholar, Sheik Muhammad Idris, in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Idris was a member of the political party Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam and an influential religious leader in the region.
In two attacks on May 5 and 9 in Ancuabe District, Mozambique, ISIS claimed to have destroyed 220 and 163 homes, respectively. In both attacks, ISIS additionally claimed to have burned a church, and in the May 9 attack, the group noted that they killed five “Christian combatants.”
ISIS Condemns Assassinated Pakistani Religious Scholar as a Supporter of Democracy
The editorial in ISIS’s weekly al-Naba newsletter released on May 7 condemned Sheik Muhammad Idris, who was assassinated by ISIS gunmen in Charsadda District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, on May 5, as a supporter of democracy, and therefore an apostate. The editorial also condemned the Sunni Deobandi movement, the most prevalent religious sect among the Taliban, as supportive of democracy. ISIS stated that support for elections and democratic principles, even to vote against secularist parties, using religious language, was a major crime and deceitful. The article condemned elections as a replacement for fighting.
ISIS al-Naba issue 546 heading, released on May 7. Screenshot taken on May 7.
ISIS Pakistan Province Propaganda Group Calls for Monero Donations
On May 3, a propaganda group connected to ISIS Pakistan Province released a call for donations using the privacy cryptocurrency Monero. The post, shared on RocketChat, called on the group’s supporters to “contribute your share,” noting that funds could be used for weapons and to support fighters and prisoners. The Monero wallet address is identical to the wallet that appeared in issue one of ISIS Pakistan Province English-language web magazine Invade, released on February 10.
Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent Condemns Killing of Pakistani Religious Scholar
On May 5, Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) condemned the killing of Sheik Muhammad Idris by ISIS in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The statement called the assassination a “criminal attack” against a religious scholar and noted that the killing of religious authorities was a tactic of “enemies of Islam.” AQIS accused ISIS of being a “tool” of intelligence agencies, including the U.S. CIA and the Pakistani Inter-Services Intelligence.
AQIS statement released on May 5, condemning the murder of Sheik Muhammad Idris by ISIS.
Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula Releases Video Calling for Attacks in the West
On May 8, Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) released an approximately 4-minute video calling for attacks in the West. The video, part of the “Inspire” propaganda series, featured an unidentified English-speaking narrator, older clips of Abu Yahya al-Libi and Adam Yahiye Gadahn, and footage from the December Bondi Beach attack and the September 11 attacks. The video specifically encouraged attacking “the enemy in its weak spot” and noted the importance of carrying out attacks as an act of vengeance for Western military operations. The video claimed that attacks can weaken governments and encouraged organized attacks with a consistent message until “the Zionists are ousted from Palestine,” and Western military forces leave the Muslim world, especially the Arabian Peninsula.
British Neo-Nazi Group Aryan Front Allegedly Disbands
On May 7, the British neo-Nazi group Aryan Front announced on Telegram that they were disbanding. The post noted that several members had been arrested on May 6, that the organization was no longer “viable,” and that group activities would only lead to further arrests. A post on May 6 also derided recent infiltration efforts by anti-fascist journalists. The post acknowledged that several group members were facing terrorism charges, but claimed that these stemmed from “non-group related incidents.”
Eight members of the group were also previously arrested at a “Remigration Now” demonstration in Nuneaton, England, led by Patriotic Alternative leader Mark Collett. A member of an Aryan Front Telegram chat posted the Christchurch attacker’s manifesto and accelerationist propaganda. On March 31, Aryan Front members posted a video containing a speech originating from the proscribed neo-Nazi group National Action.
Online Bookstore on Shopify Platform Sells Christchurch Attacker Manifesto and Notorious White Supremacist Texts
CEP researchers located an online bookstore that sells the Christchurch attacker’s manifesto, the neo-Nazi anthology Siege, the notorious white supremacist novel The Turner Diaries, and multiple additional texts that promote racism, antisemitism, and Holocaust denial. A Telegram channel associated with the online shop posted a meme blaming Jews for every “current bad thing.” The shop was promoted on Telegram by the Aryan Freedom Network and a channel associated with a neo-Nazi accelerationist website.
The store, which went online in November 2025, uses the Shopify e-commerce platform. Shopify’s Merchant Guidelines prohibit the sale of “Products promoting hateful content [or] violence.” CEP reported the webstore to Shopify on May 8.
Texas Active Club Chapter Releases Propaganda Video with Higher Production Values
On May 2, the main Texas chapter of the Active Club movement released a propaganda video featuring several Active Club members and members of Patriot Front. The video, which had higher production values than previously released content, included a voiceover taken from the 2017 film Shot Caller. Footage focused on combat sports, including the recently held American Muscle competition, a forest fight bout, footage from Streets Fight Club matches, and an MMA fight from 2024 featuring a California Active Club chapter member. Additional footage included Patriot Front marches and Active Club members riding motorcycles.
The video, posted on the Texas club’s Telegram page, had over 14,000 views and was shared more than 350 times five days later. The video had over 10,000 views on Instagram in the same time frame, where it was posted by an individual affiliated with Patriot Front.
Active Club propaganda video on Instagram. Screenshot taken on May 7.
Active Club Movement Celebrates Appearance of Founder on 60 Minutes on Telegram and Newly Created X Account
The white supremacist Active Club movement celebrated Robert Rundo’s, the movement’s founder, interview on the news program 60 Minutes, which was broadcast on May 3. The approximately 14-minute segment regarding white supremacist disaster relief efforts included almost four minutes of interview footage with Rundo, where he promoted the Active Club movement and building a white supremacist counterculture.
On May 3, a Telegram channel that Rundo has previously posted on noted that the coverage was positive, commenting that the movement’s “aesthetic is the real power.” A Substack belonging to an Active Club chapter in the western U.S. reported that over 7 million people viewed the interview on X, posted a link to the 60 Minutes account there, and said they expected a wave of applicants as a result.
A Telegram channel associated with the Youth Club movement posted a remix featuring footage from Rundo’s interview, which received over 5,000 views within 48 hours. A white supremacist channel with over 4,300 followers called the segment “excellent PR” with “immaculate optics.”
The interview and associated content made by Active Club-affiliated groups were also posted on a newly created Active Club X account. Three videos there containing interview footage received between 2,400 and over 9,000 views three days after they were posted. The account was created on May 4 after a previous account was removed from the platform.