Eye on Extremism: April 7, 2026
Top Stories
Airstrikes hit two bridges and a train station in Iran on Tuesday, and Iranian officials urged young people to form human chains to protect power plants, as U.S. President Donald Trump warned that a “whole civilization will die tonight” if Tehran does not meet his latest deadline for the Islamic Republic to agree to a deal that includes reopening the crucial Strait of Hormuz.
Kurdistan24: IRGC Signals End of Restraint, Threatens U.S. Interests and Regional Infrastructure
The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) issued a stern warning to neighboring countries on Tuesday, signaling an end to what it described as a period of “self-restraint” and threatening infrastructure and interests linked to the United States and its regional allies.
CEP Mentions
The Guardian: Members of neo-Nazi ‘active clubs’ join combat events at secretive Virginia compound
Alexander Ritzmann, a senior adviser with the Counter Extremism Project who studies active clubs, has warned that their objective is to create a “standby militia of trained and capable” rightwing extremists.
The Times: Hezbollah’s Billion-Dollar Jungle Shadow State
CEP Senior Director Hans-Jakob Schindler talks about Hezbollah’s terrorist activities in South America and the terror group’s Iranian origins.
Deutsche Welle: Why killing Iran's leaders won't bring down the regime
CEP Senior Director Hans-Jakob Schindler talks about the future of the Iranian regime.
Le Figaro: Germany faces the threat of these "disposable agents" recruited by the Russians
“Once arrested, the ‘agents’ involved in these low-cost operations are literally abandoned to their fate,” explains Hans-Jakob Schindler, Senior Director of the Counter Extremism Project. The activities of these apprentice spies have served as a workaround for Russian intelligence services following the expulsion—by European states since 2022—of hundreds of spies posing as diplomats.
ZDF Heute: US government under pressure
CEP Senior Director Hans-Jakob Schindler speaks on the loss of U.S. fighter jet over Iran.
Analysis
Dokdoc.edu: The right balance between security and freedom
CEP Senior Research Analyst Sofia Koller looks at how France and Germany are addressing the threat of Islamist terrorism.
Iran International: What Trump’s threat to strike Iran’s power grid could unleash
President Donald Trump’s threat to strike Iran’s power plants, if carried out, could trigger widespread economic disruption inside Iran while sending shockwaves through global energy markets. Trump warned on Sunday that if the Strait of Hormuz is not opened by Tuesday, the United States could target Iran’s power plants and bridges.
Real Clear Defense: The Ideological Parallels Between ISIS and the IRGC
At first glance, the militant movement Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and Iran’s powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) appear to represent opposite poles of the Islamic world. ISIS is rooted in radical Sunni jihadism, while the IRGC defends a Shiite revolutionary state born from the Iranian Revolution of 1979. The two forces have even confronted each other indirectly in conflicts across the Middle East. Yet beneath these sectarian differences lies a striking ideological resemblance.
United States
Reuters: US hits military targets on Iran's Kharg Island, Vance says no change to strategy
U.S. strikes on Iran's Kharg Island do not represent a change in American strategy, U.S. Vice President JD Vance said on Tuesday as a U.S. official separately told Reuters the additional strikes on military targets did not impact oil infrastructure. The official, who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity, described at least some of the strikes as targeting sites that had been previously struck before and said the attack occurred in the early morning hours of Tuesday.
Reuters: Trump says Iran could be 'taken out' on Tuesday, Hegseth says major strikes to come
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday he will order sweeping attacks on Iranian civilian power plants and bridges on Tuesday night unless Tehran makes a deal aimed at ending the five-week war with Iran. Trump's vow at a White House press conference came ahead of the 8 p.m. EDT deadline on Tuesday (0000 GMT Wednesday) that he set for Iran to comply with U.S. conditions.
Fox News: Patel, McCormick warn foreign terror threats inside US grew during Biden years
FBI Director Kash Patel warned Wednesday that terror sleeper cell threats in the U.S. are "real," and Sen. David McCormick, R-Pa., linked the danger to past border policies and accused Democrats of undermining homeland security in a funding fight.
Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a measure into law Monday that gives him along with other Florida leaders the ability to label groups as domestic or foreign terrorist organizations and expel state university students who support them. The law, criticized by free speech advocates, allows a top official at the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to designate a group as a domestic or foreign terrorist organization, with the governor and three other members of the Florida Cabinet approving or rejecting the designation.
Fox News: Pastor advocates for more ‘dangerous Christianity’ to counter societal threats
Pastor Allen Jackson discusses the importance of faith in public life, stating that criticism of leaders who invoke prayer is historically inaccurate. He highlights current threats from ISIS to churches and addresses biblical issues like gender confusion and abortion, advocating for a 'dangerous Christianity' that actively engages with societal challenges and speaks God's truth, despite potential backlash.
Fox News: Child of Chinese illegal immigrants charged with planting explosive at US military base
The Department of Homeland Security revealed that a suspect who fled to China after allegedly planting a deadly explosive device at a military base is the child of two Chinese illegal immigrants. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested Chinese nationals Qiu Qin Zou and Jia Zhang Zheng, both of whom were living in the U.S. illegally, Homeland Security said.
The Hill: Hasan Piker controversy heats up Michigan Senate primary for Democrats
Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed’s plans to rally in the state this week with controversial livestreamer Hasan Piker are roiling the Democratic primary, with other candidates blasting the decision to invite him on the campaign trail. El-Sayed, the former Wayne County health director backed by progressive Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), was the runner-up to Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) in the 2018 Democratic gubernatorial primary.
JTA: Wisconsin mosque leader detained by ICE in latest case tied to US antisemitism concerns
The president of Wisconsin’s largest mosque was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement last week, months after the State Department identified him as a threat to the U.S. foreign policy interest of combating antisemitism. Salah Sarsour, 53, the president of the Islamic Society of Milwaukee and a Palestinian legal permanent resident of the United States, was arrested by ICE agents on Monday.
The influencer Myron Gaines visited Ohio University last Thursday as part of a national campus tour, performing a Nazi salute and claiming that the Holocaust’s death toll had been purposefully distorted.
As Jewish families across the United States celebrate Passover, an intensifying threat environment is shaping how communities approach the holiday and beyond. Tensions tied to the war with Iran, attacks against Jews and Jewish institutions have led to concerns over the community’s safety and security.
New York Times: Students Are Disciplined Over Antisemitic Posts Targeting Hockey Rivals
Hockey players and fans are known for fierce competitiveness and intense trash talk. But the rhetoric surrounding a state ice hockey championship game between Connecticut high schools devolved last month into antisemitism. Now, students at a Catholic high school in Fairfield, about an hour from New York City, have been disciplined in connection to anti-Jewish social media posts directed at members of their rival hockey team.
JNS: Colorado man sentenced to 36 months in federal prison for concealing funds intended for ISIS
Humzah Mashkoor, 20, of Westminster, Colo., was sentenced to three years in federal prison for concealing funds intended for the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado stated on April 2. Mashkoor pleaded guilty to attempting to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization by hiding financial transfers he planned to send overseas. Authorities said he also intended to travel abroad to join and fight for ISIS.
Brazil
A wave of antisemitic incidents has hit Rio de Janeiro during the Jewish holiday of Passover, including a bar displaying a sign banning Israelis from entering, and a deli refusing to sell Matzah to a Jewish customer.
France
JTA: Palestinian-French lawmaker arrested after praising 1972 bomber of Ben Gurion Airport
French police detained Rima Hassan, a member of the European Parliament from France, on suspicion of “advocating for terrorism” after she quoted one of the perpetrators of a 1972 terror attack on an Israeli airport in a social media post.
Germany
Associated Press: Man arrested after threatening an attack on a high-speed train in Germany
A man was arrested on Thursday after threatening an attack on a high-speed train in Germany, police said. Several people were slightly injured when firecrackers were set off. The train was en route from Cologne to Frankfurt on Thursday evening. It was evacuated in Siegburg, not far from Cologne, and federal police said the man was restrained and arrested, German news agency dpa reported. They said he had a knife in his backpack.
JTA: Frankfurt cinema declines to participate in Jewish film festival, spurring backlash
A Frankfurt cinema’s decision not to participate in the local Jewish film festival is spurring allegations of antisemitism, even as its manager says the move was financial. The Jewish Community of Frankfurt announced last week that the Astor Film Lounge did not wish to host movies during Jewish Film Days this year. The cinema, it said, had cited its workers’ reluctance to staff movies that are part of the biennial festival, as well as concerns about the security required to host Jewish events.
Serbia
JTA: Israeli, Serbian leaders denounce antisemitic statements at Belgrade protest
Israeli and Serbian officials are denouncing antisemitic comments made by demonstrators during a clash between Serbian students and police at a protest last week. “Death to Vučić and all the Jews around him,” one protester said in a televised interview, referring to Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić. “Long live Serbia.”
United Kingdom
The Telegraph: Kanye West blocked from entering Britain
Kanye West has been blocked from entering Britain after a row over the US rapper’s anti-Semitic comments. Shabana Mahmood, the Home Secretary, has denied West’s visit to headline the Wireless Festival in north London on the grounds that his presence would “not be conducive to the public good”.
A senior member of the British government said Tuesday that Ye should “absolutely not” play the Wireless Festival as the performer offered to meet members of the U.K.’s Jewish community and show he has changed since provoking outrage with antisemitic statements.
Pressure was mounting Sunday on the American rapper Kanye West to be pulled from his headline role at a London music festival this summer. The rapper has drawn widespread controversy in recent years for a series of antisemitic remarks and his voiced admiration for Adolf Hitler.
JTA: Sponsors back out of London festival that invited Ye to headline despite record of antisemitism
A major London music festival is facing a wave of canceled sponsorships as well as criticism from Prime Minister Keir Starmer after after announcing that Ye, the rapper with a record of antisemitism, would be its headliner.
Jerusalem Post: Teens arrested for UK ambulance arson radicalized 'beyond Islamism,' expert analyzes
The teenage boys arrested for the Hatzola ambulance arson may not consciously subscribe to Islamism, but "they are operating within a climate shaped by it, and advancing outcomes that Islamist ideology seeks to normalize.” Haras Rafiq, vice president of policy at the Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy (ISGAP), told The Jerusalem Post on Monday.
Afghanistan
Reuters: Afghan Taliban says holding useful talks with Pakistan to resolve conflict
Afghanistan said on Tuesday that useful discussions have taken place in the northwestern Chinese city of Urumqi to resolve its conflict with Pakistan. China, which shares its western border with both countries, has been mediating to help end the worst conflict between the allies-turned-
Afghanistan International: Taliban Fighters Engage Pakistani Forces In Khost Border Clash
Taliban-affiliated media said on Sunday evening that the group’s forces attacked a Pakistani border post near Khost province, claiming several Pakistani soldiers were killed in the exchange of fire. Local sources in Khost told Afghanistan International the clash occurred around 8pm on Sunday in the border area of Tani district, with gunfire reportedly continuing between the two sides.
Gaza Strip/West Bank
Times of Israel: Hamas given until week’s end to accept disarmament proposal — sources
The Gaza Board of Peace has given Hamas until the end of the week to accept a disarmament proposal, with the US-led international body overseeing the postwar management of the Strip determined to advance its reconstruction even as the Iran war persists, three sources familiar with the matter told The Times of Israel on Monday.
Several Palestinians were injured in multiple attacks by settler extremists on Monday, with at least three being evacuated to the hospital for medical treatment, according to Palestinian media. In one attack in the West Bank village of Luban al-Sharqiya, south of Nablus, settlers reportedly set fire to two tents used for housing and three vehicles in the village.
Iran
Iran International: Iran’s president says Guards commanders are wrecking ceasefire chances
A deepening rift at the top of the Islamic Republic has spilled into an unusually sharp confrontation, with President Masoud Pezeshkian accusing senior Guards commanders of unilateral actions that have wrecked ceasefire prospects and pushed Iran toward disaster.
Jerusalem Post: Mojtaba Khamenei unconscious in Qom, not actually running Iran – report
Iran’s Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, is incapacitated and receiving medical treatment in the Shi'ite holy city of Qom, according to The Times on Tuesday, citing a diplomatic memo said to be based on American and Israeli intelligence.
Iran International: Who was Majid Khademi, and why does his killing matter?
Majid Khademi, the IRGC intelligence chief killed in Tehran early Monday, was not a battlefield commander so much as a career security insider who rose through Iran’s secretive counterintelligence system and helped oversee repression, surveillance and anti-infiltration work.
Iraq
Shafaq News: Iraq sentences 11 ISIS members to death for plotting attacks on state institutions
Iraq's Central Criminal Court has issued death sentences against 11 members of an ISIS cell convicted of planning attacks on state institutions, according to the Supreme Judicial Council. The defendants were found to have joined ISIS through social media platforms and personal accounts, received specialized training in the manufacture of explosive devices and munitions, and used drones to target state institutions for terrorist purposes.
Israel
Times of Israel: Hezbollah rocket fired from Lebanon hits Kiryat Shmona home; no injuries
A Hezbollah rocket fired from Lebanon struck a home in the northern city of Kiryat Shmona, according to rescue services. No injuries are reported.
Times of Israel: Settlers erect outpost in East Jerusalem, attack Palestinian locals
Dozens of young Jewish extremists attacked Palestinian villagers on the southeastern outskirts of Jerusalem earlier this week, in a hamlet located within the city’s municipal boundaries, residents and activists said.
Lebanon
Israeli strikes rained down on Beirut and across southern Lebanon on Monday, as the Israel Defense Forces announced it had launched a new wave of attacks on Hezbollah infrastructure in the Lebanese capital, while residents reported wide bombardment in the south as well.
Naharnet: Hezbollah says clashing with Israeli troops in Bint Jbeil
Hezbollah reported "fierce clashes" between its fighters and Israeli soldiers in Bint Jbeil on Tuesday, as Israel said it had completed the deployment of ground troops in south Lebanon. The group said it targeted overnight into Tuesday troops and Merkava tanks in Bint Jbeil and other towns near the border.
Naharnet: Hezbollah says targeted Israeli warship with missile, Israel denies
Hezbollah on Sunday said it had targeted an Israeli warship with a cruise missile off the Lebanese coast, the first such claim by the group since the start of the Middle East war. In a statement, the group said it targeted the vessel 68 nautical miles off the Lebanese coast, adding the warship was "preparing to launch attacks on Lebanese territory."
Naharnet: Al-Rahi says Iran violating sovereignty through Hezbollah, slams Israeli attacks
Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi on Saturday said Iran is violating Lebanon's sovereignty "through Hezbollah," in comments related to the war that has been raging since March 2. "Our hearts ache for the victims of the war imposed on Lebanon by Hezbollah and Israel, for the displaced, for the destroyed homes, and for those steadfastly enduring isolation from the world, in violation of international laws that call for the protection of civilians and the establishment of humanitarian corridors to deliver essential supplies such as food, medicine, and other necessities," al-Rahi said in his annual Easter message.
Saudi Arabia
Reuters: Iran has attacked Saudi Arabia's Jubail petrochemical complex, IRGC says
Iran has attacked Saudi Arabia's Jubail petrochemical complex, the heart of the kingdom's downstream energy sector and home to multi-billion-dollar joint ventures, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said on Tuesday. Jubail, a sprawling industrial city, houses massive joint ventures between state-backed oil giant Saudi Aramco and its petrochemical subsidiary SABIC, and Western energy majors.
Turkey
Associated Press: Gunmen attack building housing Israeli Consulate in Istanbul
Three assailants opened fire at police outside a building housing the Israeli Consulate in Istanbul on Tuesday, sparking a gunfight that left one attacker dead, Turkish officials said. The two other assailants were wounded and captured. Two police officers sustained slight injuries in the clash, Istanbul Gov. Davut Gul told reporters. The assailants were carrying long-barreled weapons.
Yemen
Fox News: Houthi spokesperson threatens US, Israel as Iran conflict intensifies
Iran-backed Houthis launched a missile at Israel, their first attack since the conflict began, raising concerns about Red Sea shipping lanes. Brett Velicovich, a Fox News contributor, discusses the 'classic terrorist theater' and US military readiness. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, during his visit to the Middle East, shares drone defense tactics with Gulf nations to counter Iranian threats and Russian aggression.
Yemen Online: Al-Shabaab Figure Targeted in Yemen Identified as Key Liaison with Houthis
A source within Somalia’s Al-Shabaab movement has revealed new details about the individual targeted in the February 12 strike in Yemen’s Al-Mahra province, confirming that the operation eliminated a prominent operative known in jihadist circles as Jibril Gakami. According to the source, Gakami, a Somali national, held a sensitive position as Al-Shabaab’s representative to the Houthi militia in Sana’a.
New York Times: Weakened and Reluctant, Yemen’s Houthis Belatedly Enter War
The Iran-backed Houthi militia in Yemen always vowed to defend its Iranian patrons in the event of a regional war. So, when Israel and the United States attacked the Islamic Republic in February, many expected the group to join the fight immediately. Instead, the Houthis waited.
With Iran blocking the Strait of Hormuz, the Houthis' threat to close the Bab el-Mandeb Strait is likely one of the reasons Gulf states have not responded militarily to Iran’s attacks, Yemen expert Inbal Nissim-Louvton, from the Open University and the Moshe Dayan Center at Tel Aviv University, told The Jerusalem Post on Tuesday.
Africa
Reuters: Burkina, Mali troops kill more civilians than jihadists do, data shows
Government and allied forces in Burkina Faso have killed more than twice as many civilians as Islamist militants have since 2023, according to a tally of incidents documented in a report, opens new tab published on Thursday by Human Rights Watch. The pattern is broadly consistent with data shared with Reuters by Armed Conflict Location & Event Data (ACLED), a conflict monitoring group, and also applies to neighbouring Mali.
Morocco
The Central Bureau of Judicial Investigations (BCIJ), operating under the General Directorate for Territorial Surveillance (DGST), has dismantled a six-member ISIS-affiliated cell suspected of carrying out criminal activities driven by radical ideology.Cultural Tour Packages According to an official statement, the operation took place on April 5 and 6, with suspects arrested in coordinated raids across Kenitra, Casablanca, the Dar El Gueddari area in Sidi Kacem province, and Sidi Taibi.
Nigeria
Reuters: Nigerian army rescues 31 hostages after church attack
Nigeria's army said on Sunday that it had rescued 31 civilians who were taken hostage during an attack on a church in northwest Kaduna state, while five people were found dead at the scene. The army said the attack had taken place during an Easter church service in Ariko village in the Kachia local government Area. Troops were in pursuit of the attackers, it added.
Reuters: Nigeria launches manhunt after abductions by bandits in northwest Zamfara
Nigerian security forces were in pursuit of gunmen after a large group of bandits abducted residents from villages in northwest Zamfara state, police said, following one of the region’s largest recent attacks. The gunmen raided Kurfa Danya and Kurfan Magaji villages in the Bukkuyum area on Thursday, opening fire on vehicles and homes before sweeping through the communities, a local official said.
Fox News: Nigeria's Christians on edge for Easter after Palm Sunday massacre
A Holy Week attack in a predominantly Christian town in Nigeria that left a reported 28 dead has led to widespread fears that more of Christ’s followers could be targeted over the coming Easter weekend. On Palm Sunday last weekend, multiple gunmen reportedly shouted a Muslim declaration as they randomly opened fire in the predominantly Christian town of Angwan Rukuba in the Jos District of Nigeria’s Plateau State.
Technology
A new analysis from researchers at the Gatestone Institute, a non-partisan, not-for-profit international policy council and think tank, highlights the growing use of social media by the Islamic State and affiliated groups to recruit, radicalize, and coordinate activities across the Indo-Pacific region.
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