"The Active Clubs were originally founded by American neo-Nazi activist Robert Rundo in response to the arrests of members of his former group 'Rise Above Movement'," explains Alexander Ritzmann, a specialist in these movements for the Counter Extremism Project.

Weakened by a French military intervention in 2013 in Mali, Ag Ghaly bounced back in 2017 by uniting the Ansar Dine, Katiba Macina and Al-Mourabitoun groups to form JNIM.

His nickname is "the strategist", said Hans-Jakob Schindler, director of the think tank Counter-Extremism Project (CEP). A highly experienced organiser, his long contacts with Al-Qaeda and the "successes" of the JNIM have made him a respected emir, Schindler added.

Left-wing extremist groups are calling for massive protests in Giessen against the founding of an AfD youth organization. “The left-wing extremist milieu has enormous mobilization potential,” says security expert Hans-Jakob Schindler, [CEP Senior Director].

The Active Clubs network has been notable for the speed with which it has grown and spread. Alexander Ritzmann, a researcher for the Counter Extremism Project and an adviser to the European Commission’s Radicalisation Awareness Network, said he had “never seen a network in right-wing extremism grow so fast”.

Dr. Hans-Jakob Schindler, renowned terrorism expert and Senior Director of the Counter Extremism Project, analyzed the current threat posed by international terrorism. In his keynote speech, he referred to nine attempted attacks in the recent past and identified three key challenges: First, the geopolitical situation, marked by conflicts such as those in Ukraine and the Middle East, as well as disinformation campaigns. Secondly, technological developments, with terrorists increasingly resorting to modern technologies and artificial intelligence – for example, to plan attacks or manufacture explosive devices. Thirdly, the legal situation, which, according to Schindler, needs to be fundamentally overhauled in order to effectively counter the current threats.

Since 2020, Active Clubs have expanded rapidly across the United States, Canada and Europe, including the U.K., France, Sweden, and Finland. Precise numbers are hard to verify, but the clubs appear to be spreading, according to The Counter Extremism Project, the Anti-Defamation League, the Southern Poverty Law Center, and my own research.

DW talks to Sofia Koller, Senior Research Analyst at the Counter Extremism Project about counter terrorism efforts in Europe.

CEP Senior Director Dr. Hans-Jakob Schindler interviewed on the 10th anniversary of the Paris terror attacks: “France is marking the 10th anniversary of the Paris terror attacks by Islamic State Jihadists, who killed more 130 people and wounded hundreds more. President Emmanuel Macron is visiting each one of the sites where gunmen and suicide bombers carried out the attacks to pay his respects to the victims of France's worst terror incident. Commemorations are being held across the capital. Tributes started last night at the Place de la République, where Parisians gathered with candles, flowers and handwritten notes at the base of Marianne, the national symbol, as they did in 2015.”

The Middle East conflict has radicalized many people in Islamist and left-wing extremist circles, [CEP Senior Director] Hans-Jakob Schindler said on NDR Info.