Eye on Extremism: February 11, 2026
Top Stories
Afghanistan International: Al-Qaida Indian Subcontinent Leaders Based In Kabul, Says UN Report
A new United Nations sanctions monitoring report says the Taliban are supporting the activities of militant groups, including al-Qaida, Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan and the East Turkestan Islamic Movement, inside Afghanistan.
Iran International: Iranian diplomats ferrying millions in cash to Hezbollah
Iran International has obtained information alleging that senior Iranian diplomats transported large amounts of cash to Beirut in recent months, using diplomatic passports to move funds to Lebanon’s Hezbollah. The transfers involved at least six Iranian diplomats who carried suitcases filled with US dollars on commercial flights to Lebanon, according to the information.
CEP Mentions
On February 4, CEP researchers located a 35-page guide from the pro-ISIS online group Al-Saqri Foundation, regarding the basic principles and handling of explosives, building a home explosives laboratory, and specifically calling for acts of terrorism. Mega.Nz removed the manual after CEP reported it, but a page on JustPaste.It advertising the manual and an Al-Saqri Telegram bot were both still online five days after they were reported.
Tagesschau: Where are the German former IS terrorists?
Analyst Sofia Koller of the international think tank Counter Extremism Project (CEP) has long pointed to the poor prison conditions, the risk of re-radicalization, and potential prison escapes. "Germany must finally take responsibility for its citizens and bring the remaining individuals back to Germany to stand trial," says Koller. This would send a strong international signal for the rule of law.
SVT: Here the designated European Nazi leader is fighting – in the middle of Gothenburg
Tomasz Szkatulski is known as the founder of a far-right clothing brand, and is linked to the Nazi organization Blood and Honour, which is classified as a terrorist organization in Canada and banned in Germany. By participating in King of the Streets on at least five occasions, he has reached an audience of millions. Among other things, he is seen fighting on a busy bicycle bridge – in central Gothenburg. Alexander Ritzmann, an expert on right-wing extremism at the Counter Extremism Project, believes that Szkatulski is using King of the streets as a platform to expose himself and his brand.
Analysis
A report at Al-Arabiya noted that the Egyptian involvement represents a commitment to Somalia’s “territorial integrity” and unity. This comes after Israel recognized Somaliland, and as many countries in the region are focused on the Red Sea and Sudan.
Washington Institute for Near East Policy: Syria at a Crossroads: U.S. Policy Challenges Post-Assad
Damascus will not take the difficult steps to reconcile internal animosities and rebuild destroyed infrastructure unless outside supporters—led by the United States—speak with one voice about their expectations and red lines.
United States
Jewish Insider: Lander campaign operative shared Israel conspiracy theories, pro-Hamas content
The highest-paid consultant for former New York City Comptroller Brad Lander’s congressional bid is the founder of the “Hot Girls for Zohran” campaign — and a prolific X user who has shared posts lauding Hamas and insinuating Israeli involvement in 9/11 and the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, all while attacking police and Democratic elected officials.
A bipartisan coalition of US lawmakers is seeking to tighten the legal and financial vise on Russia's global mercenary network, introducing legislation on February 10 that would designate the Kremlin's rebranded proxy forces as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs). The measure marks a significant escalation in Washington's effort to expand sanctions authority against Kremlin-affiliated private mercenary organizations, including ones that have formed since the demise of the notorious Wagner group.
Noah Pollak, a senior advisor at the Department of Education, offered a series of recommendations, including broader cultural changes and vigorous disciplinary action, on how universities can and should reform to better address antisemitism on campus.
WJLA: Antisemitic graffiti found at Olney synagogue, investigation underway
Montgomery County police are looking into an act of vandalism at Shaare Tefila Synagogue in Olney. Police tell 7News that officers responded Tuesday morning, Feb. 10, around 8 a.m., after reports of antisemitic graffiti at the 16600 block of Georgia Avenue.
Fox News: Mamdani’s antisemitism czar once slammed post condemning Hamas terror attacks
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s new antisemitism czar once said she was "floored" by a social media post condemning Hamas for firing rockets toward civilian population centers in Israel.
The pro-Palestinian student protesters who swarmed U.S. campuses, erected pro-Gaza encampments and terrorized Jewish students for two years had plenty of support — from university professors. Faculty activism played a key role in driving the anti-Israel protests that roiled University of California campuses following the deadly Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israeli civilians, according to a report released Wednesday by the Amcha Initiative.
Evanston Round Table: Evanston Police investigating antisemitic hate symbols found on a park bench
Evanston police are investigating antisemitic hate symbols found on a park bench near the intersection of Clark Street and Judson Avenue, just steps from the campus of Northwestern University, according to EPD Cmdr. Chelsea Brown. In a statement, Brown said police received a report of the incident Jan. 31, one day before similar hate symbols were found on the campus of Northwestern University.
A group of activists gathered outside the Prairieland Detention Center near Dallas last July 4 with fireworks and plans to mount more than a polite protest. They were there for less than an hour before things took a turn: A police officer was wounded by a gunshot. Only one member of the group is accused of pulling a trigger, but 19 people went to jail on state and federal charges. Attorney General Pam Bondi labeled the defendants terrorists, and FBI Director Kash Patel bragged that it was the first time alleged antifa activists had been hit with terror charges.
Florida Phoenix: Bill to designate domestic terrorist organizations advances in Florida House
A proposal to empower the head of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) to designate domestic or foreign terrorist organizations if the group meet specified criteria advanced through its second committee in the Florida House on Tuesday.
United Nations
France 24: UN's Albanese slams 'shameful and defamatory' anti-Semitism accusations against her
In an interview with FRANCE 24, UN Special Rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories Francesca Albanese dismissed recent accusations of anti-Semitism against her as "shameful and defamatory." She also warned that "the plan to fully destroy Gaza continues" and denounced Israeli measures in the West Bank, where "soldiers and settlers are spreading terror".
The Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM) has called for the immediate removal of Francesca Albanese from her position as UN special rapporteur after she referred to Israel as a “common enemy of humanity” during remarks at the Al Jazeera Forum in Doha.
France
Reuters: France's far right climbs in the polls, but stalls in boardrooms
France's National Rally has yet to win over the business elite, who fret over its shifting economic positions and are wary of engaging with a far-right party many still regard as toxic, according to over a dozen sources. Little more than 14 months before a presidential election, polls indicate party leaders Jordan Bardella or Marine Le Pen have a solid shot at power after a decades-long march from fringe movement to mainstream force.
The Guardian: Marine Le Pen appeal trial ends with presidential race at stake
Defence lawyers for Marine Le Pen have told a Paris appeals court she did not orchestrate a system to misuse European parliament funds, at the close of an embezzlement trial that will determine whether the far-right leader can run in the 2027 French presidential election.
Poland
Euractiv: In Poland, Tusk mirrors the far right's agenda
The rapid rise of Poland’s far right is pushing Prime Minister Donald Tusk and his Civic Coalition to harden their rhetoric and policy positions in an effort to stem an exodus of voters to extreme parties. Once confined to the fringes, far-right Polish parties are now polling in third and fourth place nationally – a shift that has prompted Tusk to mirror elements of their agenda in a bid to win back voters and blunt their appeal.
United Kingdom
Reuters: London counter terrorism police investigate stabbing of two teenagers
London police said on Tuesday it arrested a 13-year-old on suspicion of attempted murder after he allegedly stabbed two other teenagers at a school, and that its counter terrorism unit was leading the investigation. The incident occurred at Kingsbury High School in Brent, northwest London, earlier on Tuesday. Two boys, aged 12 and 13, were stabbed and taken to hospital, where they remain in serious condition.
This week, King's College London hosted a screening of the IDF Spokesperson’s 47‑minute raw footage documenting the October 7 Hamas massacre, making it likely the first academic institution in the world to do so. Until now, "Bearing Witness to the October 7th Massacre" has mainly been screened privately to opinion leaders, media figures, and politicians.
Netherlands
Reuters: Dutch anti-racism chief sees hope for reparations under new government
The Netherlands' anti-racism chief is hopeful that the new Dutch government will discuss reparations for slavery and colonialism, years after official apologies were criticised by campaigners for falling short of addressing historical wrongs. Reparations take many forms, ranging from financial compensation to symbolic gestures.
United Kingdom
One of Britain's most dangerous terrorists, who was jailed for a plot to bomb an Army base in Luton, is set to be released from jail three years early - despite expert advice advising against the release. Zahid Iqbal, along with Mohammed Sharfaraz Ahmed, Umar Arshad and Syed Farhan Hussain, admitted to discussing a theoretical attack on the site back in 2013.
BBC: Spike in antisemitism reports after synagogue attack
Reports of antisemitism incidents in the UK spiked after the deadly Manchester synagogue attack last year. The volunteer-run Community Security Trust (CST), which provides security and monitors antisemitism in the UK, said 40 incidents were recorded on the day of the attack and 40 the day after - the highest daily totals of 2025.
Kyrgyzstan
24 KG: Two people arrested in Osh for distributing extremist materials on social media
Two citizens have been arrested for distributing materials related to banned extremist and terrorist organizations on social media. The press service of the Department of Internal Affairs of Osh region reported. According to the Department for Combating Extremism and Illegal Migration, an examination confirmed that the posted materials contained extremist content.
Afghanistan
Afghanistan International: UN Marks 1,607 Days Since Afghan Girls Barred From Secondary Education
The United Nations says 1,607 days have passed since the Taliban banned girls from attending secondary school in Afghanistan, warning that the continued restriction threatens the country’s future.
Gaza Strip/West Bank
The United States will host the inaugural meeting of the Gaza-overseeing Board of Peace next week, using the opportunity to try and raise funds for the reconstruction of the war-torn coastal enclave. It will be a tough pitch, as Hamas still dominates the western half of the Gaza Strip, Israel remains in control of the eastern half, and IDF strikes on what it says are terror operatives throughout the territory have continued on a near-daily basis since Washington brokered a ceasefire in October 2025 aimed at ending two years of war.
A Hamas terrorist behind a deadly 2004 double suicide bombing and a sniper commander in the terror group who committed several fatal attacks on IDF troops in the Gaza Strip during the war were killed in recent airstrikes, the military announced on Wednesday.
The IDF has fired and is now criminally probing two IDF Home Front Command soldiers for allegedly beating a Palestinian last Friday near the village of Nabi Saleh in the Ramallah area.
Times of Israel: Palestinian water provider says maintenance workers assaulted by settlers
The Jerusalem Water Undertaking, a major Palestinian water provider in the central West Bank, says its workers were assaulted and pepper-sprayed by settlers today while carrying out maintenance work on a well in Ein Samia, a spring that is used to supply water to several Palestinian villages near Ramallah and Jerusalem.
Iran
Reuters: Iran says it won't negotiate over its missile capabilities
Iran's missile capabilities are its red line and are not a subject to be negotiated, an adviser to Iran's supreme leader said on Wednesday, as Tehran and Washington eye a new round of talks to avert conflict. U.S. and Iranian diplomats held indirect talks last week in Oman, amid a regional naval buildup by the U.S. threatening Iran.
Iran marked the 47th anniversary of its 1979 Islamic Revolution on Wednesday as the country’s theocracy remains under pressure, both from U.S. President Donald Trump who suggested sending another aircraft carrier group to the Middle East and a public angrily denouncing Tehran’s bloody crackdown on nationwide protests.
Iran International: Iran security chief Larijani meets Hamas leaders
Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, met with a group of Hamas leaders at the Iranian embassy in Doha on Wednesday, state media reported.
The Islamic regime has carried out extrajudicial killings of injured protesters inside hospitals and arrested countless medical personnel suspected of treating those wounded by Tehran, an Iranian doctor told The Jerusalem Post on Tuesday.
Iran International: No ceasefire if war with US begins, Iranian senior official says
A new war between Iran and the United States would not end with a ceasefire, said a member of Iran’s Expediency Council and a former commander-in-chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, on Wednesday.
Iraq
Iraqi News: Iraqi security arrests ISIS leader in Anbar province
Iraq announced on Tuesday that it has disrupted a complicated terrorist cell and apprehended an ISIS leader in a significant security operation. The Iraqi National Security Service (INSS) said in a statement that the cell was dismantled following a thorough security operation in the western Iraqi province of Anbar.
Israel
Jerusalem Post: PMO calls to remove the word ‘massacre’ from bill to commemorate Oct. 7 attacks
The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) has requested that the word “massacre” be removed from the title of a bill establishing a national day of commemoration for the October 7 Hamas attacks. PMO representative Yoal Elbaz presented the position on Wednesday during a Knesset Education, Culture, and Sports Committee convened to advance the bill, sparking outrage from bereaved families in attendance.
Jewish News Syndicate: Netanyahu signs first order to strip citizenship, deport Israeli terrorists
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday signed papers to revoke the Israeli citizenship of two terrorists and deport them. It is the first-ever implementation of a law passed by a majority of 94 of the 120-member Knesset in 2023.
The debate over establishing a state commission of inquiry into the October 7 failures has largely centered on personalities: who will appoint the members, who will chair the commission, and whether the government or the Supreme Court president will define the mandate.
When Hamas fired some 3,700 rockets, and its invasion force of around 5,600 men penetrated Israel's border at 119 different spots to take over a couple of dozen villages at 6:29 a.m. on October 7, Israel’s top officials went into shock.
Jerusalem Post: Israel weighed blocking Tucker Carlson’s entry ahead of visit – report
Israeli officials considered denying entry to Tucker Carlson ahead of an expected visit, but ultimately decided against it, according to a report by Bar Shem-Ur of HaTzinor on Tuesday. In his post on X/Twitter, Shem-Ur wrote that Carlson was due to arrive in Israel after a trip to Jordan, and that “government sources” had weighed preventing his entry in recent days.
Four anti-government activists will face terrorism charges for firing maritime flares at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's home in Caesarea in 2024 after Israel's State Prosecutor rejected a mediating judge's recommendation, Haaretz has learned.
Lebanon
Naharnet: US sanctions gold exchange firm, individuals and entities over alleged Hezbollah ties
The U.S. Department of the Treasury said Tuesday that it "took action to disrupt two key mechanisms Hezbollah uses to sustain its economic stability: revenue generation in coordination with the Iranian regime and exploitation of Lebanon’s informal financial sector."
Hezbollah Secretary-General Sheikh Naim Qassem stressed Tuesday that "no one can dictate to Lebanon that it harm its defense capabilities," warning that "disarmament serves the interests of Israel and America, not the state."
Qatar
Jerusalem Post: Qatar is a ‘problem-maker,’ not peace mediator, Doha opposition leader tells ‘Post’
“Qatar is not a peaceful mediator, Qatar is a problem maker,” the president of Qatar’s National Democratic Party, Khalid Al-Hail, told The Jerusalem Post on Tuesday night, adding that Doha has “created, supported, [and] helped the terrorist organizations” it now purports to arbitrate with.
Pakistan
Arab News: UN report says Pakistani Taliban getting Afghan support, could pose extra-regional threat
A United Nations Security Council report released this month confirmed Pakistan’s long-standing claim that Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) is operating from Afghanistan with significant backing from the Taliban administration in Kabul, while warning that the group could evolve into an extra-regional threat.
Ethiopia
Reuters: Ethiopia builds secret camp to train Sudan RSF fighters, sources say
Ethiopia is hosting a secret camp to train thousands of fighters for the Rapid Support Forces paramilitary group in neighbouring Sudan, Reuters reporting has found, in the latest sign that one of the world’s deadliest conflicts is sucking in regional powers from Africa and the Middle East. The camp constitutes the first direct evidence of Ethiopia’s involvement in Sudan’s civil war, marking a potentially dangerous development that provides the RSF a substantial supply of fresh soldiers as fighting escalates in Sudan’s south.
Somalia
Shabelle Media Network: Somali commandos target Al-Shabaab positions in Lower Juba operation
Somali special forces carried out a planned operation against Al-Shabaab fighters in Lower Juba region, targeting militant hideouts near the town of Jamaame, military officials said on Tuesday.
Technology
Al Arabiya: AI expert warns against latest trend using ChatGPT to turn photos into caricatures
An artificial intelligence (AI) expert has warned against a viral trend that uses ChatGPT and AI tools to turn personal photos into humorous caricatures, cautioning that the seemingly harmless trend carries serious privacy and security risks. The trend, which has recently swept across social media platforms, goes beyond altering facial features to create cartoon-like images. In many cases, it attempts to predict a user’s profession and visually integrate it into a satirical scene.
New York Times: How Hate Groups and Terrorists Use Gaming Platforms to Recruit Young Children
Taking a page from the child molesters’ playbook, hate groups and terrorist organizations are exploiting games like Minecraft and Roblox and other popular online platforms to recruit a new generation of extremists, researchers say.
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