Eye on Extremism: April 29, 2026
Top Stories
Reuters: Iran's Guards seize wartime power, weakening Supreme Leader's role
Two months into a war with the U.S. and Israel, Iran no longer has a single, undisputed clerical arbiter at the pinnacle of power — an abrupt break with the past that may be hardening Tehran’s stance as it weighs renewed talks withWashington. Since its creation in 1979, the Islamic Republic has revolved around a supreme leader with final authority on all key matters of state. But the killing of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on the first day of the war, and the elevation of his wounded son, Mojtaba, have ushered in a different order dominated by commanders of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and marked by the absence of a decisive, authoritative referee.
Specialist officers from counter-terrorism policing are investigating after two men were stabbed in a Jewish area of north London. A man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after the attack Golders Green, the Metropolitan Police said.
CEP Mentions
Times of Israel: Revisiting Conscience. Or Absence of It.
The reason of them to be at the place was the opening of the new landmark next to Auschwitz, ARCHER at House 88, unique project of memory and compassion that acts nowadays from the premises of the house in which the butcher Rudolf Höss and his family were thriving in all their hellish idyll while the head of the family commanded over Auschwitz-Birkenau death factory. Ambassador Wallace was the driving force of this truly special project that has been functioning as part of his CEP, Counter Extremism Project , which is known for its efficient fight against terrorism and anti-Semitism world-wide.
Fair Observer: Iran’s Arms Network Has an American Address: The Arrest of Shamim Mafi
Senior Director of the Counter Extremism Project, Hans-Jakob Schindler, tells Fair Observer that the Oman routing is consistent with how Tehran operates: It is indeed a whole-of-government and whole-of-economy approach that the regime undertakes, with both government authorities, in particular the Ministry of Information, which is the official name for the Ministry of Intelligence, the intelligence service of the Revolutionary Guards, economic entities, research entities, as well as a range of other government authorities such as the diplomatic service being involved in quite complex transnational procurement operations that are usually characterized by a high degree of sophistication and obfuscation.
ZDF Heute Journal: United Arab Emirates leave OPEC
CEP Senior Director Hans-Jakob Schnidler speaks on the UAE leaving OPEC.
Jüdische Allgemeine: Iran's new front
German terrorism experts Hans-Jakob Schindler, Senior Director at the New York-based Counter-Terrorism Project (CEP), and Peter Neumann, Professor at King's College London, agree: HAYI is not an independent terrorist organization, but rather an instrument of the Iranian government. This allows the regime to officially deny accusations of state terrorism while simultaneously signaling to the West the extent of its reach.
TAZ: Iranian terrorist front man
Terrorism expert Hans-Jakob Schindler of the Counter Extremism Project (CEP), based in Berlin and New York, told the taz newspaper: "This is less about a terrorist group and more about a narrative of the regime in Tehran." He added that a genuine network most likely does not exist among the suspects arrested so far; they are more likely to be criminals recruited on short notice than terrorists in the classic sense.
Bayerischer Rundfunk: Attack on Verdi demonstration: One victim and the psychological consequences
Experts like Hans-Jakob Schindler from the transatlantic think tank "Counter Extremism Project" emphasize that radicalization usually has multiple causes – such as personal crises or isolation. Prevention programs therefore start early, with education and support for those affected and their families.
"The Iranians are extremely interested in negotiations being very deep, going into detail, and lasting a very long time. They know that they are in a much better position in the negotiation process," Hans-Jakob Schindler, head of the Berlin-based think tank Counter Extremism Project, told our editorial team. "They can draw on a negotiation culture that is thousands of years old among the Persians. The Iranians are always very meticulously prepared and already have a plan A, B, C, and D for every issue."
Analysis
On April 25, armed groups launched near-simultaneous attacks against military installations and key strategic sites across Mali. Claimed by Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin, a jihadist group, and conducted in coordination with Tuareg separatist forces from the Front de libération de l’Azawad, the attacks targeted multiple nodes across the country’s security architecture simultaneously, from the capital Bamako to Gao, Mopti, and Kidal.
Israel has one of the most advanced air defense systems in the world, and is also a leader in artificial intelligence and other technologies. Despite this, Hezbollah has been able to seemingly pierce some of Israel’s defenses through the use of small drones. This new threat is emerging in the buffer zone that Israel carved out in Lebanon.
United States
Fox News: Dem lawmaker hosts Hamas-linked org, draws swift backlash online
A California Democrat is facing backlash after hosting a Hamas-associated group at his office on Capitol Hill last week. Rep. Derek Tran welcomed a group of leaders from the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) as part of the "National Muslim Advocacy Day," an annual lobbying event organized by Muslim advocacy groups.
The University of California-Berkeley is facing heightened backlash after a Palestinian Political Prisoners Day event included a speaker with a terrorism conviction. Israa Jaabis, a failed car suicide bomber, was released from prison in November 2023 as part of a deal to return Israeli hostages taken during the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks. Jaabis was convicted of attempting to set off a car bomb in 2015 during a traffic stop. The incident occurred near an area where Israeli soldiers would often gather and attempt to hitchhike. Jaabis and an Israeli officer, Moshe Chen, were severely burned during the attack.
An activist at this month’s Michigan Democratic Party convention in Detroit screamed an antisemitic slur at the husband of Michigan Senate candidate Mallory McMorrow, in front of the couple’s 5-year-old daughter, McMorrow revealed in a radio interview airing Wednesday.
Jakob Marcoulier, a 22-year-old American soldier at Fort Polk, was charged with threatening to kill Jews in a synagogue and faces up to five years in federal prison, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Louisiana said on Monday.
Duke’s Students for Justice in Palestine chapter was unsuspended from organizational activity on Friday after Student Affairs lifted a previously imposed status restriction and funding freeze. The move came after the Office for Institutional Equity separately determined that an Instagram post by the group — which had been reported for alleged antisemitism — did not warrant an investigation nor violate University policy.
The Southern Poverty Law Center told a federal court on Tuesday that law enforcement agencies have long known that the nonprofit paid informants to report on the movements of hate groups, rejecting assertions by the Trump administration that the nonprofit steered money to the Ku Klux Klan and other extremist groups without the knowledge of authorities. The Alabama-based nonprofit was indicted last week on charges of fraud and money laundering. Prosecutors said the group misled donors by using their money to pay informants who served as leaders in the very hate groups the organization was founded to fight.
The Organization for the Prevention of Violence (OPV) has launched a new decision-support tool designed to help law enforcement and security professionals intervene more effectively in cases of violent extremism. The tool, called OptiMoment, is intended to identify the most effective points in time to encourage individuals to voluntarily enter countering violent extremism (CVE) programs. These programs focus on helping individuals disengage from extremist ideologies and behaviors through psychosocial support.
Canada
Fox News: Record antisemitic incidents in Canada fuel criticism of Carney government response
The Canadian government led by Prime Minister Mark Carney is facing renewed criticism that it is not doing enough to curb antisemitism as a new report shows record numbers of hate crimes against the nation's Jewish population. On Monday, human rights organization B’nai Brith Canada’s League for Human Rights released a report showing that 6,800 antisemitic incidents took place in the country in 2025, representing a 9.4% increase over 2024. On average, this represented 18.6 incidents a day, and was the "highest volume" the group has recorded since it began tracking incidents.
JTA: A suspect is charged in one of Toronto’s Jewish shootings — but the rest remain a mystery
After a man riddled a Jewish-owned restaurant with bullets in uptown Toronto, police accomplished something earlier this month that they hadn’t done following previous attacks on Jewish sites: identify and charge a suspect.
Iran International: Iran football chief with IRGC ties sent back by Canada after arrival
Iran's football chief Mehdi Taj, once a commander in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, was sent back from Canada just hours after landing, according to a government source who spoke to Iran International.
Iran International: IRGC officials have no place in Canada, ministry says
Canada’s immigration ministry said on Wednesday that IRGC officials are inadmissible to the country, responding to Iran International regarding Mehdi Taj, the president of Iran’s football federation. “The government has been clear and consistent: IRGC officials are inadmissible to Canada and have no place in our country,” it said.
United Kingdom
Times of Israel: Israel raps UK after stabbing of two Jews, urges action on antisemitism
The Foreign Ministry sharply criticizes the British government following a stabbing attack targeting Jews in north London, saying authorities can “no longer claim” antisemitism is under control. “Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s statements are no substitute for confronting the roots of antisemitism festering across United Kingdom,” the ministry says in a post on X.
Fox News: New IRA bombing fuels fears of global militant network tied to Iran, Hezbollah
A dangerous dissident republican group, the New IRA, which is allegedly linked to Iran and Hezbollah, claimed responsibility Tuesday for a car bomb outside a Belfast police station before warning of further attacks, according to reports. The blast targeted a Police Service of Northern Ireland station in Dunmurry, and police increased patrols after the group threatened to target officers at their homes.
Police have begun a major checkpoint operation at several locations across Belfast after the New IRA threatened to attack officers in their homes. It comes as a man has been arrested following a car bomb attack outside Dunmurry police station on Saturday.
Reuters: UK watchdog says counterterrorism law could hit protests, free speech
Britain's terrorism watchdog on Wednesday said the government risked stretching counterterrorism laws beyond their original purpose by using such powers against activist groups, blurring the line between protests and national security threats. In his annual report examining the use of Britain's terrorism legislation during 2024, independent reviewer Jonathan Hall said the subsequent banning of pro-Palestine group Palestine Action had exposed "real uncertainty" over whether serious damage to property alone should qualify as terrorism.
Jewish News: Green Party candidate: ‘Jewish Nazis’ are ‘money grubbing thieves’
The Green Party is facing further questions regarding one of its local council candidates in Newcastle, after it emerged that she runs a social media account under the alias “the real Anne Frank” in which she has referred to “Jewish Nazis” as “money grubbing thieves” who “have built mountains of money over centuries.”
Afghanistan
Afghanistan International: Taliban Offers Reciprocal Steps To Reduce Tensions With Pakistan
The Taliban said it would take “two steps” towards easing tensions if Pakistan takes one, according to Abdul Wasi, Head of Taliban’s PM Office after talks with Richard Lindsay, UK enovy. The Taliban official stressed that the group seeks an end to tensions and friendly relations with Pakistan.
Afghanistan International: Taliban Declare More Than 400 Acres Of Land In Kabul State-Owned
The Taliban’s justice ministry says a land recovery commission has identified more than 415 acres of land in Kabul’s District 16 as state property, with a court ordering the plots be handed over for restitution. In a statement on Wednesday, April 29, the ministry said the process of reviewing, verifying and reclaiming “grabbed” land is ongoing across Afghanistan. It did not specify who had occupied the land or what action had been taken against them.
Gaza Strip/West Bank
Times of Israel: IDF says senior Hamas intel operative who helped plan Oct. 7 killed in Gaza strike
A senior Hamas intelligence operative who helped plan the terror group’s October 7, 2023, invasion of southern Israel was killed in a Tuesday airstrike, the IDF and Shin Bet announced Wednesday in a joint statement. The Tuesday strike killed Iyad Ahmed Abd al-Rahman Shambari, who served as chief of operations in Hamas’s intelligence division, according to the military and Shin Bet.
JNS: IDF troops wounded in Samaria attack; terrorists neutralized
Two Israel Defense Forces soldiers sustained injuries when they were attacked by terrorists during an operation in Samaria overnight on Tuesday. “During an IDF operational activity in the area of Silwad, two terrorists attacked two IDF soldiers, who were injured and evacuated to receive medical treatment at a hospital,” the military stated.
Iran
AL24 News: IRGC Warns No Gulf Port Will Be Safe After US Blockade on Iranian Maritime Traffic
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) issued a stark warning on Monday, declaring that “no port in the Gulf and the Sea of Oman will be safe” following a US decision to impose a blockade on all traffic entering and leaving Iranian ports in the Strait of Hormuz. In a statement carried by state broadcaster IRIB, the IRGC said maritime security in the Gulf and the Sea of Oman is “either for everyone or for no one,” emphasizing its position that any restriction imposed on Iran would be met with reciprocal measures. The statement framed Iran’s response as part of what it described as the legitimate defense of its territorial sovereignty.
Israel
Times of Israel: JNF halts most funding for at-risk youth in West Bank over settler violence links
Jewish National Fund-KKL said on Tuesday it had ended most of its funding to West Bank programs for at-risk Israeli youth after realizing that they were tools for expelling local Palestinians. “Regretfully, under the guise of education, it turned out we were supporting activities aimed at bringing youth at risk to the settlements to help dispossess Palestinians from their land,” JNF-KKL chair Eyal Ostrinsky told Haaretz.
Lebanon
Naharnet: Hezbollah, president clash over Israel talks deepens Lebanon divide
With President Joseph Aoun pushing for direct talks with Israel while Hezbollah rejects them, the country is once again at an impasse after a verbal spat between its leader and the Iran-backed movement. Lebanon has officially been at war with Israel since 1948, making direct negotiations taboo until recently when two wars between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah exhausted the country.
Times of Israel: Israeli contractor killed, son wounded by Hezbollah drone in southern Lebanon
A Defense Ministry civilian contractor was killed and another was wounded by a Hezbollah drone in southern Lebanon on Tuesday, the military announced, as the Iran-backed terror group continued to target northern Israel and Israeli forces in Lebanese territory.
Lebanese authorities have launched an investigation after a student contacted IDF Arabic Spokesman Col. (res.) Avichay Adraee, asking that the IDF target her school, according to the military official and a statement issued by the Choueifat National College. The student, a 14-year-old, according to Lebanese media site L’Orient Today, alleged that Hezbollah was storing weapons under the school. Security forces searched the school and found nothing, according to Lebanese reports.
Turkey
Reuters: Erdogan rejects criticism of Turkey's peace efforts with Kurdish militants
President Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday that the peace process aimed at ending Turkey's decades-long conflict with Kurdish militants was progressing in a "positive atmosphere", after criticism from pro-Kurdish lawmakers. Speaking in parliament, Erdogan said recent steps had brought the process to a more sensitive stage following the approval of a parliamentary commission report outlining a roadmap for legal reforms alongside the disbandment of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).
Mali
Reuters: Mali leader says situation under control in first speech since attacks
The leader of Mali's military government, Assimi Goita, on Tuesday made his first public appearance since insurgents launched coordinated attacks over theweekend, vowing in a televised address to "neutralize" those responsible. West Africa's al Qaeda affiliate and a Tuareg-dominated separatist group hit Mali's main army base and the area near Bamako's airport in the attacks on Saturday, while also pushing Russian troops supporting government forces out of the strategic town of Kidal in the north.
Reuters: France urges citizens to leave Mali 'as soon as possible' amid security risks
France has urged its nationals in Mali to leave "as soon as possible" following coordinated attacks at the weekend, including in the capital Bamako, a travel advice update for the West African country said. The security situation remains volatile and pending their departure, French citizens should stay at home, limit movement and follow instructions from local authorities while keeping relatives informed, the French foreign ministry said. All travel to Mali is strongly discouraged, the update said.
Nigeria
Reuters: Nigerian troops kill 18 militants in northeast operations, military says
Nigerian troops killed at least 18 Islamist militants and destroyed several insurgent enclaves in coordinated operations across Borno state, the military said on Wednesday, as security forces intensify pressure on Islamist groups in the northeast. Borno, which is roughly the same size as Ireland, has endured an insurgency waged by Boko Haram and its splinter group Islamic State West Africa Province for 17 years that has killed thousands and displaced 2 million people.
Bangladesh
The Hindu: Bangladesh issues nationwide security alert over possible militant attacks
Bangladesh Police issued a nationwide security alert over possible militant attacks on key installations, including the Parliament complex, officials and media reports said on Saturday (April 25, 2026). "The alert has been issued based on intelligence reports,” a police headquarters (PHQ) official said, requesting anonymity. The official described the alert as “urgent and confidential”.
Vietnam
Asia News Network: Overseas man sentenced to 11 years in prison for terrorism in Vietnam
The Đắk Lắk provincial People’s Court on Tuesday sentenced a man from HCM City to 11 years in prison in absentia on the charge of “terrorism” under Article 299 of the Penal Code. Nguyễn Đình Thắng, 68, who last resided at 14/40C Kỳ Đồng Street in Nhiêu Lộc Ward before leaving the country and is currently living in the United States, was handed the sentence.
Australia
Bloomberg: Australia’s Richest Gifts Jet to Hard-Right Party Head
Australia’s richest person, Gina Rinehart, has donated a plane to Pauline Hanson, the leader of the country’s hard-right One Nation Party. In a social media post on Wednesday, Hanson unveiled the plane and said it would enable her to visit more areas across the country as One Nation drums up support ahead of 2028 federal elections.
Muslim Network TV: Islamophobia fears highlighted in Australian state extremism report
Concerns about Islamophobia and the safety of South Asian Muslim communities have taken centre stage following the release of a New South Wales parliamentary committee report on right-wing extremism, which also acknowledged caste discrimination and far-right Hindu extremism within diaspora networks, says an article published by The Mooknayak, written by Kouser Zameer and Devibala Palanivel.
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