Eye on Extremism: July 27, 2026
Top Stories
Deutsche Welle: Berlin Pride: Latest in string of deadly vehicle attacks
The attack at a Berlin Pride event is only the most recent incident on a long list where vehicles were used as weapons. The US, Canada, and China also saw similar attacks in recent years.
From New York and Washington to Europe and Canada, sustained attacks on Jewish communities are prompting new questions about hate crimes, terrorism and the evolving security threat.
CEP Mentions
Deutsche Welle: Berlin attack: when deradicalization programs don't work
Hans-Jakob Schindler is senior director of the Counter Extremism Project, a non-profit that helps combat the threat from extremist ideologies. For hardened extremists and highly motivated terrorists, deradicalization programs are not very effective, Schindler tells DW. It's too early to say what exactly went wrong prior to the attack, but lessons have to be learned, he says.
Deutsche Welle: Germany calls deadly Pride attack 'Islamic terror'
In this interview, counterterrorism specialist Hans-Jakob Schindler discusses whether the Islamist terror attack on the outskirts of Berlin Pride reflects Islamist extremism, lone-actor violence or a combination of threats. He also explores why vehicle attacks continue to target public spaces in Germany, what is known about the suspect’s background, and how authorities assess potential extremist networks and future security risks.
Deutsche Welle: Terrorists still 'relentless' in spreading propaganda
Talking to DW, terrorism expert Hans-Jakob Schindler said the suspected attacker, Abdul B., was "very close, and potentially, even a member of the 'Islamic State' which means that we have the hardest, most extremist misinterpretation of Islam possible in the world."
ZDFheute: Terrorism expert on CSD attack: "Perpetrator was a high-risk individual"
Analysis by Hans-Jakob Schindler (terrorism expert, Counter Extremism Project) following the Islamist terrorist attack on the sidelines of Christopher Street Day in Berlin.
ZDFheute: CSD attack: "Germany is under increased pressure"
Live interview with Hans-Jakob Schindler (terrorism expert, Counter Extremism Project) about the alleged attack at Christopher Street Day in Berlin.
Extremism expert Hans-Jakob Schindler discusses the danger posed by Islamism, which is much greater than the resources of the police – and what can actually be done to combat radicalization online.
GB News: Interview with Dr Hans-Jakob Schindler
Speaking about the terrorist attack on the Berlin Pride march, Dr Hans-Jakob Schindler tells GB News that it's unclear which part of the Islamist milieu the suspect belonged to. He explains the security steps that were implemented in advance for the event.Analysis
The Iranian-backed Houthis have been escalating attacks and rhetoric against Saudi Arabia throughout July, leading to concerns that international shipping via the Red Sea could be disrupted.
United States
After charges were filed in the Valley Fair Mall stabbing, Muslim community leaders are discussing the impact this hate crime has had, and they are calling for elected officials to condemn the attack.
Times of Israel: ‘Planning lives elsewhere’: These Jews are leaving NY due to antisemitism, politics
Ron Dov, an American-Israeli, watched his progressive LGBTQ+ community in New York City embrace anti-Israel politics following the October 7, 2023, Hamas invasion of Israel and ensuing war in Gaza. A chat group he had been in for years, focused on event tickets for the gay community, became a forum for anti-Zionism and accusations of genocide in Gaza. Any view that did not align with that consensus was immediately dismissed, Dov said, adding that the group had never before discussed politics.
Shockwaves from the Tisha B’Av stabbings on the Upper West Side reverberated through New York’s Jewish and Democratic party elected leadership on Friday, as some blamed New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s invective against Israel, while others called more broadly to turn down the temperature on the rhetoric in the city.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Sunday responded to criticism that he's fueling antisemitism. He did so as Jewish New Yorkers rallied on Manhattan's Upper West Side against antisemitism and hate in the wake of the stabbing of a Jewish man and Asian man in the neighborhood last week.
Patch: Mural At Pasadena Jewish Temple Vandalized With Antisemitic Graffiti
Members of a Jewish congregation that lost its campus in the Eaton Fire were expressing sadness and outrage Saturday after a community mural at that site was vandalized with swastikas and other antisemitic graffiti.
Canada
Reuters: Shot fired outside US consulate in Toronto for second time this year
At least one shot was fired outside the U.S. consulate in downtown Toronto early on Monday but there were no injuries, police said, in what was the second such incident in the last four months. Police officers, alerted by the sound of a gunshot, said they found evidence of a weapon having been fired outside the building on University Avenue.
Jerusalem Post: Toronto police probe suspected antisemitic attacks on Jewish bagel chain
Toronto Police are investigating suspected antisemitic attacks on Jewish businesses after shattered windows were discovered Sunday morning at two locations of the Jewish-owned Kiva’s Bagel Bar chain.
France
The Jerusalem Post: France arrests six suspects over alleged synagogue terror plot near Paris
Six men were charged and detained on Saturday in relation to a planned attack in Sarcelles earlier this month, France's National Anti-Terrorist Prosecutor's Office (PNAT) announced.
Germany
New York Times: Merz Criticizes Terrorism Laws After Deadly Berlin Pride Attackl
Chancellor Friedrich Merz of Germany called on Monday for tougher monitoring of individuals who are security threats, a day after prosecutors said that the suspect in a terrorist attack near a gay Pride event in Berlin was released from detention in May.
Deutsche Welle: Germany: Berlin Pride attack prompts calls for clampdown
German conservatives are calling for a tougher course on suspected Islamists after the deadly Christopher Street Day attack in Berlin. The presumed attacker was released from detention this May. DW has the latest.
The Guardian: German officials call for tighter extremism laws after Berlin Pride attack
German officials have called for a tightening of laws for known extremists after a deadly attack in Berlin on one of Europe’s biggest Pride parades, as the far right seeks to mobilise outraged voters before three key state elections.
Naharnet: Berlin Pride parade attacker of Lebanese origin, previously held in Lebanon
German police said Sunday they had shot and killed the chief suspect in what officials described as a deadly Islamist attack near the Berlin Pride parade the previous night, the latest ramming assault to hit the country. The attack late Saturday -- the first such incident to target the German capital's LGBTQ community -- killed one woman and wounded 29 others.
The suspect in the deadly Berlin Pride attack that left one person dead and 29 injured was shot and killed by police during a confrontation on Sunday in a suburb of the city, authorities said. Abdul Ballout, a German citizen with Lebanese roots, was killed following a search that lasted nearly 24 hours after the attack in downtown Berlin. Prosecutors said he had previously sought to join the militant Islamic State group.
Ireland
Kent Online: Lack of engagement from IS supporter who stabbed garda ‘disappointing’ – judge
A judge has said that it is “disappointing” that an IS supporter who stabbed a police officer will not engage in risk and psychological assessments. A sentencing date of October 12 has been set for Abdullah Khan, who pleaded guilty to stabbing a garda and setting fire to a pub owned by Conor McGregor.
Irish Examiner: Irish children linked to online group 'obsessed with violence'
Gardaí have identified adolescents who have become involved with a notorious online network “obsessed with violence” and engaged in radicalising minors into acts of extremism and terrorism. The Irish Examiner understands that An Garda Síochána has referred children and adolescents they have identified as being involved with this group to Tusla for support.
Italy
The Media Line: ‘Zionist’ lists, tourist maps: Italy's Jews warn of widening threat of antisemitism
Dalia Gubbay had attended Milan’s April 25 Liberation Day march many times before. There had always been shouting when supporters of the Jewish Brigade reached the center of the city, she said, but the hostility had usually been confined to a tense corner or a brief confrontation. This year, she said, the atmosphere was different.
United Kingdom
The Independent: Police arrest 15 after anti-migrant protest in Glasgow turns violent
More than a dozen people have been arrested after violence erupted in Glasgow between anti-immigration and anti-racism protesters. Police chased and held back Unite the Clans demonstrators who ran towards an anti-fascist group, with many on both sides wearing masks.
The Times: Greens face backlash over motion against IRGC ban and Iran sanctions
Green Party members will be asked to debate whether sanctions on Iran should be scrapped and its Revolutionary Guard spared proscription after the government moved to ban support for the organisation.
The UK's Islamic Center of England charity has been granted the right to sponsor visas for skilled workers and religious ministers to immigrate to Britain, despite allegations that it is tied to Iran's regime, The Telegraph reported on Sunday.
The Guardian: Palestine Action activists face being sentenced as terrorists over bank damage
Five Palestine Action activists face being sentenced as terrorists for breaking windows and throwing red paint at a branch of Barclays Bank in Lancashire. Brendon O’Hagan, 28; Amanda Kelly, 31; Hmeera Atiqnisar, 31; Mohammed Malik, 28; and Alma Yaniv, 70, were found guilty of causing £212,000 of damage during a direct action protest in Burnley in August 2024. They targeted the bank because it held shares in the Israeli weapons firm Elbit Systems.
Counter Terrorism Business: Man sentenced after collecting extremist content in prison
A man has been jailed after collecting extremist content and using a phone in prison whilst serving a sentence for assaulting a police officer has been jailed again. Muhammad Zakir Arif was sentenced at Manchester Crown Court on Friday to three years in prison. The judge also ordered that he serve an additional one year on license and be subject to a Serious Crime Prevention Order for five years upon release from prison.
Middle East
Reuters: Red Sea shipping slows after Houthi attack on Saudi Arabia, data shows
Ship traffic through Bab el-Mandeb fell on Sunday after Yemeni Houthis attacked Saudi oil installations along the Red Sea coast, while transit through the Strait of Hormuz stayed low over the weekend, shipping data from Kpler showed on Monday. Eleven commodity vessels passed through the Bab el-Mandeb strait on Sunday, the lowest level in months, the data showed.
Reuters: Houthis say they targeted Saudi east-west oil transport
Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis said on Monday they targeted a number of sensitive crude oil supply and transport sites linking eastern Saudi Arabia to the critical Red Sea oil export hub of Yanbu. Saudi state oil giant Aramco did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Afghanistan
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid on Monday responded to reports of recent clashes between the group and opposition forces in Badakhshan. Mujahid dismissed reports of the fighting and claims that Yaftal district had fallen as “media propaganda”.
Afghanistan International: Two More Taliban Outposts Captured In Badakhshan, Says AFF
Sources from the Afghanistan Freedom Front told Afghanistan International on Sunday afternoon, 26 July, that the group’s forces had advanced in Zebak district of Badakhshan after seizing at least two more Taliban outposts. One source said the front’s fighters had captured elevated positions after obtaining heavy weapons and equipment.
Afghanistan International: One Taliban Member Killed In Kuran Wa Munjan of Badakhshan, Says NRF
The National Resistance Front of Afghanistan says its forces attacked a Taliban post in Kuran Wa Munjan district of Badakhshan on Sunday night, killing one Taliban fighter and wounding two others. Local sources also confirmed the attack on Taliban positions in Kuran Wa Munjan to Afghanistan International.
Amu TV: Taliban, Freedom Front clash in Badakhshan as fighting enters second week
Fighting between Taliban and the Freedom Front continued in parts of Badakhshan on Monday, according to local residents and sources within the Taliban, as clashes entered a second week. Residents and Taliban sources in the province told Amu TV that fighting continued for several hours overnight in different parts of Zebak district, which has emerged as the center of the recent violence. The Freedom Front also confirmed that clashes were ongoing.
Afghanistan International: Pakistan’s Security Problems Are Its Own, Says Taliban
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid rejected Pakistan’s claims about the presence of terrorist groups in Afghanistan, saying Islamabad should not blame the Taliban for its domestic security problems. Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar had earlier urged members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation to press the Taliban to fulfil its counterterrorism commitments and eliminate the safe havens of terrorist groups in Afghanistan.
Gaza Strip/West Bank
An old hand very familiar to Israel has emerged as the new political leader of Hamas following a secret insider election that took months to unfold, and one regional expert said the development signals the terrorist group will not be charting a new course. Khalil al-Hayya, who has been a key negotiator for Hamas and who has survived multiple alleged assassination attempts, will now lead the group's political bureau. But Middle East Institute Senior Fellow Jaser AbuMousa told Fox News Digital his election is not exactly a passing of the torch.
Settlers attacked several Palestinian towns and villages overnight Saturday, torching two mosques, a home and several vehicles and spraying graffiti claiming “revenge” for the killing of an Israeli in a deadly clash as violence continued to engulf the West Bank, the IDF and Palestinian reports said.
Times of Israel: Netanyahu vows expanded operations against West Bank ‘terrorist strongholds’
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz vowed at a cabinet meeting on Sunday to expand operations against Palestinian “terrorist strongholds” in the West Bank, after a deadly Friday shootout sparked when settlers illegally entered a Nablus-area village.
An Israeli airstrike on Saturday killed the head of the Hamas-led police force in the northern Gaza Strip, Brigadier General Abdel-Nasser Al-Maqadma, the Hamas-run interior ministry and medics said. Maqadma, one of at least five Palestinians killed in Israeli strikes on Saturday, was also known as the governor of the northern Gaza Strip.
Iran
Kurdistan24: IRGC Releases Figures Claiming Extensive Damage to US Forces
The Revolutionary Guards said US forces suffered significant personnel and equipment losses during recent military operations, though the figures have not been independently verified.
Israel
Times of Israel: Bennett vows to declare Qatar enemy state, says he’s seen intel it funded IRGC
Former prime minister Naftali Bennett said Monday that if he returns to the premiership this fall, he will declare Qatar an enemy state, and accused Doha of funding Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. “If I am elected prime minister, I will immediately declare Qatar an enemy state,” the Together party leader vowed, at an Institute for National Security Studies conference.
Times of Israel: Katz said to meet suspect detained over brutal settler attack on West Bank village
Defense Minister Israel Katz met Friday for around an hour with a suspected violent settler who has been on a hunger strike in his jail cell since his detention, Hebrew media reported. Tal Yinon Dardik is suspected of a brutal attack in Khirbet Humsa, a Palestinian village in the West Bank, where he, along with other extremist settlers, allegedly stripped a Palestinian victim, zip-tied his genitals, and paraded him around the village in March.
Lebanon
Jerusalem Post: IDF soldiers find Hitler drawings in private home in southern Lebanon
The IDF said Monday that troops operating in southern Lebanon found two drawings of Adolf Hitler inside a private home in the village of Taybeh. According to Arabic-language IDF spokesperson Ella Waweya, known as “Captain Ella,” the drawings were signed with the name Hassan Haidar and were believed to belong to a larger portfolio of artwork.
Naharnet: Berri walks fine line between Aoun and Hezbollah
Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri told pro-Hezbollah al-Akhbar newspaper, in remarks published Monday, that "the only acceptable path" is securing a ceasefire and an Israeli withdrawal. "What we wanted yesterday, today, and tomorrow is securing a permanent ceasefire and the full withdrawal of Israeli forces from occupied Lebanese territory," Berri said, adding that he still rejects the framework agreement and any direct negotiations between Lebanon and Israel.
Syria
AFP: UN chief urges support for Syria, meets Sharaa, on first visit since before civil war
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged international support for Syria on Saturday as he visited the country, which is in transition following years of war and the overthrow of longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad.
Naharnet: Al-Sharaa says no intention to intervene militarily in Lebanon
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa has said that Syria has no intention of launching any military intervention into neighboring Lebanon, despite repeated remarks by U.S. President Donald Trump on the issue. Instead, he told Al-Jazeera that his government is currently discussing ways for Lebanese authorities to overcome the country’s current crisis and steer it towards safety.
Jerusalem Post: Syria's Sharaa unveils regional strategy, seeks Israel security arrangement
Syria’s President Ahmed al-Sharaa laid out a strategic vision for Syria and the region in recent comments in an interview. Speaking with Qatar’s Al Jazeera, he described Syria’s attempts to manage tensions with Israel while also dealing with Lebanon and Iraq. He also discussed internal issues, such as the Kurdish minority in Syria and how Damascus positions itself in a changing world order.
Pakistan
The Express Tribune: Security forces kill 16 terrorists in Operation Al-Azm in Balochistan
Security forces have killed 16 terrorists in ongoing intelligence-based operations under Operation Al-Azm in Balochistan, where multiple militant hideouts have also been destroyed and weapons and explosives recovered, security sources said on Sunday. The intelligence-based operations have been launched in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks in the area. Earlier, security forces launched Operation Shaban after terrorists attacked the Mangi Dam Police Station.
Africa
African Insider: Jihadist groups using Sahel mines for cash, power: NGO
Jihadist groups behind deadly violence in the Sahel over the past decade are increasingly exploiting mines to finance activities and expand influence, conflict monitor ACLED said on Wednesday. Burkina Faso, Niger and Mali, Sahelian countries rich in mineral resources, are facing jihadist violence from groups linked to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State that have killed thousands of people across their territories for more than a decade.
The U.S. is reportedly considering airstrikes against al Qaeda-linked terrorists in Mali, according to regional analysts and recent media reports. The military junta that has been running this West African country in the Sahel region since coups in both 2020 and 2021 turned away from France and the U.S. to get military protection from Russia and its Africa Corps mercenaries against jihadist groups.
Nigeria
Reuters: At least 30 killed in village attack in Nigeria's Kaduna state, residents say
At least 30 people were killed when armed men attacked a village in Nigeria's northwestern Kaduna state early on Monday, two residents said. Dogon Rana, secretary to the village head, said gunmen stormed the community shooting randomly and burning houses. Eight children were among the dead, while four other people sustained injuries.
Channels TV: Senior ISWAP Finance Operative, 46 Others Surrender To Troops In Borno
Troops of Operation Hadin Kai have recorded another major operational breakthrough with the surrender of a senior Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP) finance operative, highlighting the sustained impact of ongoing kinetic and intelligence-driven operations across the North East.
Malaysia
New Straits Times: Online extremists exploit lonely youths' search for friendship, belonging
Feelings of loneliness, isolation and having no one to turn to are making teenagers and children increasingly vulnerable to online radicalisation and emerging threats such as Nihilistic Violent Extremism (NVE). Unlike conventional terrorist groups driven by political or religious ideologies, NVE is characterised by a belief that life, society or existing systems have no inherent value or meaning, with violence viewed as a means to cause destruction, fear or chaos.
Singapore
Three Singaporean teenagers aged between 14 and 19, who were self-radicalised by violent extremist ideologies and planned to carry out separate attacks here, have been detained under the Internal Security Act (ISA). The cases are unrelated. One of them was a 14-year-old student who was arrested in May, a month before his intended attack on his school.
He wanted to kill Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) personnel stationed outside Sembawang Air Base, LGBTQ students at the tertiary institution he attended and Muslim acquaintances who disagreed with his radical beliefs. Those were among the violent plans harboured by 19-year-old Tan Jun Jie, the Internal Security Department (ISD) said in a statement on July 27.
Australia
Australian Jewish News: AFP reversed refusal on antisemitism threat after AJA went to media
The Australian Federal Police reversed a decision not to investigate a serious threat against the Australian Jewish Association only after the organisation took the matter to the media, AJA president Robert Gregory has told the Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion.
The deputy commissioner of New South Wales police has pushed back at calls for the private security sector to be armed at Jewish events. The royal commission into antisemitism and social cohesion has been examining security arrangements for the Jewish community in this block of hearings, with some witnesses lobbying for the Community Security Group (CSG) to be armed in the wake of the Bondi terror attack.
Senator Malcolm Roberts claims One Nation wants to deport at least 200,000 people and has repeatedly referred to the far-right concept of “remigration” in podcast interviews and speeches to niche platforms. In two recent podcasts, Roberts said One Nation wanted to deport 100,000 temporary residents as well as 100,000 international students – a total much higher than the party’s published policy. The senator said after those people were removed, he wanted to “start working on the higher numbers of people we need to get rid of”.
Reuters: Australian right-wing leader Pauline Hanson loses appeal in racial discrimination case
An Australian court on Monday rejected an appeal from right-wing leader Pauline Hanson to overturn a ruling that she racially discriminated against a Muslim senator by telling her to "piss off back to Pakistan". The three-judge panel of the Full Federal Court of Australia unanimously upheld a 2024 ruling that the comment, addressed to Greens Senator Mehreen Faruqi on social media, was unlawful and unprotected by free speech defences.
Technology
Artificial intelligence may not create a new kind of terrorism, but it makes existing tactics cheaper, faster and easier. That is the central argument of a July 2026 report from the U.S.-based think tank Center for Strategic and International Studies.
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