Eye on Extremism: August 27, 2026
Top Stories
Fox News: Accused 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, 3 co-defendants set for 2028 trial
Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the accused mastermind of the Sept. 11 terror attacks, and three alleged co-conspirators will stand trial in 2028, a military judge ruled Wednesday. Lt. Col. Michael Schrama set the trial for June 5, 2028, rejecting prosecutors’ request to begin proceedings in January 2027. Mohammed and the three other defendants have been held at Guantánamo Bay since 2003 in the long-delayed case stemming from the attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people.
Times of Israel: US urges countries around the world to boost synagogue security for High Holidays
The US State Department sent a cable to embassies around the world, directing diplomats to call on their host governments to boost security outside synagogues during the High Holidays.
CEP Mentions
Terrorism expert Hans-Jakob Schindler of the Counter Extremism Project (CEP) also considers Russian involvement very likely: "During the Cold War, weapons caches belonging to the Soviet KGB were repeatedly discovered in Germany and Europe, intended as depots for sabotage operations."
Analysis
Defense Post: Syria Is Sidelining the Fighters Who Beat ISIS
Damascus launched a military offensive against the SDF explicitly to force the Kurdish-led group under central government authority — yet less than half of its fighters have since been integrated into the new national army. Since declaring himself Syria’s interim president, Ahmad al-Sharaa has been trying to build a national army out of factions that spent years fighting each other.
JNS: How Hamas plans to win the Palestinian elections
Palestinian national elections are set for Nov. 28. Hamas will run, just not as Hamas; it will campaign, instead, as part of a broad coalition. If successful, some Mideast experts warn, Hamas will position itself within the Palestinian Authority, its Islamist terror cells peppered throughout Judea and Samaria.
The antisemitism royal commission has been about as far from a Judge Judy-style reality show as you could possibly imagine. There has been very little grandstanding. No-one was playing to the crowd, nor to the dwindling number of reporters in the press gallery. Much of the testimony has gone unchallenged.
Jewish Insider: Meet the anti-Israel donors backing a neo-Nazi’s GOP congressional campaign
Examining the campaign finance reports of neo-Nazi influencer Dan Bilzerian prompts the question of who exactly would want to be associated with the hate-mongering candidate, who was badly defeated last week in his primary bid against Jewish congressman Rep. Randy Fine (R-FL). The next question is who would want to be associated with his associates.
United States
An Italian extremist group has quietly laid the groundwork for far-left groups in the U.S. and beyond to organize anonymously and execute violent attacks using its covert digital infrastructure, the U.S. State Department alleges.
Jewish Insider: U.S. sanctions Palestine Action, PFLP-linked group as global terrorists
The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned several far-left organizations on Wednesday, including the U.K.-based Palestine Action and transnational group Masar Badil, which is linked to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.
The Anti-Defamation League released a new report on Thursday documenting what it claims are alarming levels of anti-Jewish conduct, hostile rhetoric, and institutional failure experienced by Jewish K-12 employees across US teachers' unions.
Reuters: Judge dismisses lawsuit by Elon Musk’s X challenging New York hate speech law
A U.S. judge on Wednesday dismissed a lawsuit by Elon Musk's X seeking to void a New York state law requiring social media companies to disclose how they monitor hate speech, extremism, harassment, foreign political interference and disinformation.
Fox News: Democrats condemning Hasan Piker as backlash spreads through party
Prominent Democrats are lining up to condemn far-left streamer Hasan Piker after he warned that American Jews could face violence if they continue to be seen as strongly supporting Israel. The backlash follows a stream last week in which Piker displayed an image of Michigan state Sen. Jeremy Moss, who is Jewish and the Democratic nominee in Michigan's 11th Congressional District.
An associate of the Aryan Brotherhood prison gang was convicted of fatally shooting two men in Lomita, California, on orders from an incarcerated Aryan Brotherhood member, the Justice Department announced.
A former staffer for Rep. Mike Collins (R-Georgia) shared images in June and July on his X account of a swastika and one that depicts himself in Ku Klux Klan robes.
The Spokesman Review: WA wildfire crew investigated for posing with white nationalist flag
A group of wildland firefighters from the Washington National Guard are under investigation for gathering around and displaying the white supremacist Rhodesian flag while battling the Little Giant fire this month. Washington National Guard spokesperson Joseph Siemandel said the troops involved are “under investigation by their chain of command,” adding that the incident – seen in a photograph published on Instagram – was a “poor choice” by those involved.
Mother Jones: Memes and Machine Guns: How Brandon Herrera Built a Path to Congress
If you want to get acquainted with Brandon Herrera, the gun influencer currently favored to win a tight congressional race in South Texas, his YouTube channel offers many opportunities. You could feast your eyes on his most-watched video, with 13 million views, wherein he uses a rifle and head and torso ballistics models to recreate the assassination of JFK. Or there’s the one where he calls a World War II-era machine gun the “original ghetto blaster” and goose-steps to the tune of Nazi military songs. In an episode of his podcast, he brags about owning a copy of Hitler’s Mein Kampf, and, departing from his interest in Nazis, he has also appeared with the neo-Confederate group Sons of Confederate Veterans and calls the Civil War the “War of Northern Aggression.”
WTMJ: “I accept the criticism,” New Berlin Mayor on anti-Muslim posts
The Mayor of New Berlin apologizes for the anti-Muslim posts he shared on social media, after receiving backlash and requests for his resignation. The Wisconsin Muslim Civic Alliance called on Aug. 20 for New Berlin Mayor Dave Ament to resign after he shared hateful posts targeting Muslims on Facebook.
NPR: Amid rising threats, a WNBA team calls in experts on violent extremism
The WNBA's popularity has risen in recent years, but so have threats and abuse directed at its players. One team is taking a novel approach to this, by partnering with national security specialists.
Canada
Ahead of the 25th anniversary of 9/11, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) has reportedly circulated a memo to reporters and editors instructing them: “Do not refer to the Sept. 11 attacks as terrorist attacks.”
Belarus
Brussels Times: Belarus labels EU-backed education channels ‘extremist’ in bid to control narrative
Belarus has designated several EU-linked websites and education programmes as “extremist information sources,” including EUvsDisinfo, the EU-supported SALT and “Education for Belarusians” initiatives, and Lithuania’s Central Project Management Agency. The move targets websites and social media linked to the projects, the European Commission emphasised in a statement on Wednesday.
France
RFI: French soldiers disciplined over Rhodesian flags linked to white supremacists
France's Ministry of the Armed Forces has launched disciplinary proceedings against several soldiers photographed holding flags linked to Rhodesia, a former white minority-ruled territory in southern Africa whose symbols have been embraced by white supremacists.
An Irish man in his sixties, suspected of making antisemitic threats and telling an Australian Jewish couple he was sorry "Hitler didn't finish the job" inside an Avignon supermarket, was arrested by French police on Wednesday, with Agence France-Presse reporting that the case was handled by the Marseille research section and the Avignon research brigade.
Germany
Jewish Insider: AJC report calls out systemic antisemitism in far-right German AfD party
Germany’s far-right Alternative for Germany party has embedded antisemitism into its core ideology, using coded rhetoric, conspiracy myths and historical revisionism to mobilize voters and undermine German democracy, according to a new report released by the American Jewish Committee.
Politico: The former neo-Nazi activists behind Germany’s rising far-right star
A generation after Germany banned a neo-Nazi youth organization for seeking to cultivate a new extremist elite, four of its former members now hold influential roles around the politician who is on track to become the country’s first far-right state premier since the Federal Republic of Germany was founded in 1949.
Ynet: Germany steps up fight against antisemitism as attacks on Jews surge post-October 7
More than 8,000 antisemitic incidents are now recorded annually, with 68% classified as Israel-related; Schleswig-Holstein launches a 109-point action plan while North Rhine-Westphalia focuses on Jewish community security.
Deutsche Welle: What does Saxony-Anhalt’s election mean for migrants?
The AfD could make history in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. For many people with a migration background, the September 6 state election raises questions about belonging, security and their future in Germany.
United Kingdom
BBC: Man jailed for mosque threats after synagogue attack
A man who made death threats to two mosques in the wake of the Manchester synagogue attack has been jailed for more than two years. Gabriel Levy, 21, from Wakefield, made an anonymous phone call to the Al-Sunnah Mosque in Cheetham Hill on 4 October 2025, telling the person who answered: “I’m going to come to your mosque and kill you,” according to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).
BBC: Man jailed for sharing extremist terror videos
A man has been jailed for sharing racist, neo-Nazi and antisemitic material including a video of a computer game about the Christchurch terror attack. Zayan Lorgat, 20, pleaded guilty to four counts of disseminating a terrorist publication under the Terrorism Act 2006 at Leicester Crown Court in July.
Counter Terror Business: International Countering Violent Extremism Hub launched in UK
A new international counter-extremism hub is to be established in the UK, designed to strengthen efforts to stop violent extremism before it threatens British communities.
Middle East
The IDF launched a wave of strikes against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon on Thursday after the terror group launched two explosive drones toward IDF soldiers operating in southern Lebanon, the military stated.
Afghanistan
Amu TV: Trump says Abbey Gate bomber was among prisoners freed by Taliban
President Donald Trump said the ISIS-K suicide bomber who carried out the deadly 2021 attack at Kabul airport was among thousands of prisoners released by the Taliban after they seized Bagram, as he marked the fifth anniversary of the bombing and renewed his criticism of the US withdrawal from Afghanistan. In a proclamation issued on the anniversary, Trump said the bomber entered a crowd at Abbey Gate at 5:36 p.m. on Aug. 26, 2021, and detonated an explosive vest.
Afghanistan International: Taliban Suspends Fiber-Optic Network Expansion In Afghanistan
According to a document obtained by Afghanistan International, the Taliban Communications Ministry has ordered Afghan Telecom and several private firms to halt all fibre-optic expansion, repair and infrastructure work until further notice.
Afghanistan International: Taliban Must Take Verifiable Action Against TTP, Says Pakistan
Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry spokesman, Tahir Andrabi, says progress in talks with the Taliban depends on practical action against armed groups and compliance with international commitments, including preventing Afghan territory from being used against Pakistan.
Afghanistan International: Three Taliban Members Killed In Kabul Attack, Says Anti-Taliban Front
The Afghanistan Freedom Front said on Thursday that it killed three Taliban members in an attack on a checkpoint in Kabul’s 16th police district. The group said at least two others were wounded.
Kabul Now: Taliban’s New Police Law Tightens Restrictions on Fundamental Freedoms, Amnesty Says
Amnesty International says that the Taliban’s newly introduced “Police Law” further entrenches the already suffocating climate of repression and severe restrictions on fundamental freedoms in Afghanistan.
Gaza Strip/West Bank
The Board of Peace’s Gaza envoy briefed the UN Security Council on the status of the US-run body’s efforts to rebuild Gaza on Wednesday, touting Hamas’s acceptance of a disarmament plan while effectively acknowledging that progress has since stalled amid Israel’s rejection of the proposal.
Fox News: Watchdog demands apology after UN memorial erroneously honors Hamas terrorist
A solemn candle-lighting ceremony honoring United Nations employees who died in 2025 while working for the world body has sparked criticism after it unwittingly named an employee who was later revealed to be a Hamas commander.
The IDF killed two Hamas Nukhba terrorists in strikes on the Gaza Strip on Sunday, the military said in a Thursday statement. The IDF and the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) killed Razek Sahil Suleiman Abu Shahma, Yahya Sinwar’s bodyguard and a Hamas Nukhba terrorist who infiltrated Re’im on October 7.
Israel
Times of Israel: IDF chief orders major bolstering of troops in West Bank due to escalated tensions
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir said Thursday morning that he had ordered a major bolstering of troops in the West Bank in light of recent tensions in the territory, as well as demanding that the treasury supply the military with additional funds.
Lebanon
Naharnet: US Ambassador says all Lebanese want Hezbollah disarmed
U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa criticized Hezbollah on Thursday, arguing that the Lebanese people broadly agree on the necessity of disarming the group despite differing approaches. "Thus, Hezbollah must hand over its arms to the state," he said.
Ethiopia
When a social media platform enters a new market, it arrives with promises of global connection, creative expression, and digital democratisation. But in Ethiopia, ByteDance’s TikTok has delivered something far more sinister. It has transformed our collective trauma into viral entertainment. While the platform celebrates billions in global revenue, Ethiopian users pay the bill in blood, broken communities, and uninhibited online terror. TikTok has failed Ethiopia by design, operating on a business model that treats African lives as statistical collateral damage in the pursuit of absolute engagement.
Nigeria
Reuters: Nigerian gunmen raise over $5 million from mass kidnappings, study finds
Nigerian kidnappers have collected nearly $5.8 million in ransom payments in the last year from civilian abductions, crime that is crippling education and eroding public trust in the government, a security consultancy said on Wednesday.
Australia
The Australian: Secret extremism report’s accidental release to antisemitism inquiry
In a government blunder, a secret cabinet review is now public after it was given to the royal commission but not marked confidential. Lawyers raised the mistake two months later.
Herald Sun: ‘Identity as a mother takes over’: ISIS bride launches fresh bid for freedom
An ISIS bride accused of keeping a sex slave has made a new bid for bail, claiming she renounced her allegiance to the violent extremist group the moment she became a mother seven years ago.
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