Eye on Extremism: July 29, 2026
Top Stories
Reuters: US, Saudi hit Iran's allies in Iraq; Trump vows to punish Iran for firing at troops
The United States and Saudi Arabia jointly struck Iran-backed groups in Iraq on Wednesday, and President Donald Trump vowed to "beat the fucking shit" out of Iran for firing on U.S. troops just days after he suspended airstrikes. Iran confirmed late Tuesday that it had fired on U.S. bases in Jordan and at ships in the Strait of Hormuz, and also spurned an Omani proposal to jointly manage the strait.
Some 23,000 antisemitic incidents were recorded in 2025 in the seven largest Diaspora communities around the world, about 14 percent less than in 2024, according to a new report. However, the antisemitic attacks last year included the murder of 20 people, making it the deadliest year for Diaspora Jewry in more than 30 years, according to J7 Task Force, an organization representing major Jewish communities across seven nations.
CEP Mentions
Hoodline: Nashville Fighters Linked To Neo‑Nazi Active Clubs
Alexander Ritzmann of the Counter Extremism Project argues that the Active Club model functions as "the strategy to build a neo-Nazi militia," and a recent CEP brief details how the network highlights hardening, discipline and logistics. The Southern Poverty Law Center has likewise documented ties between Active Clubs and Patriot Front, reinforcing concerns among researchers that the scene is less about weekend warriors and more about long-term paramilitary ambitions.
FAZ: How many Muslims are susceptible to extremism
"These are extremists who not only pursue this ideology but also view violence as a legitimate means of achieving their goals," says Hans-Jakob Schindler of the Counter Extremism Project, a non-governmental organization that deals with extremism and terrorism.
ARD Media: Terrorist attack on the CSD – Islamist hatred against queer people on Islamist homophobia
CEP senior director Hans-Jakob Schindler speaks on Islamist hate.
WELT TV: "The hardliners in the Revolutionary Guard will always have the upper hand."
For the first time since the temporary halt to US attacks on targets in Iran, Tehran has fired missiles at American troops in the Middle East. "The Revolutionary Guard is trying to get the maximum out of this," says extremism expert Hans-Jakob Schindler.
Analysis
Washington Stand: Authorities Unravel Hamas Terror Threads in Europe
European intelligence agencies have discovered and disrupted Hamas terror operations in more than half a dozen countries since October 7, revealing that the terror group under siege in Gaza is still willing to export their murderous vendetta against Jews and Americans to other countries, even other continents.
United States
Montclair Local: Montclair Man, 21, Pleads Guilty to Role in ‘ISIS Travel Conspiracy’
A 21-year-old Montclair man pleaded guilty Tuesday to “concealment of material support” to ISIS, admitting he helped a former classmate in his plans to travel overseas to join the terrorist organization. Under a plea agreement, prosecutors recommend a 10-year prison sentence.
Jewish legal organizations have assailed New York City’s anti-Zionist mayor, Zohran Mamdani, after he announced a panel on local judicial appointments that included not a single Jew among its 18 members, who the mayor had said would “reflect” the city’s population.
WSBTV: Apalachee school shooter Colt Gray sentenced to life without parole
Apalachee High School shooter Colt Gray was sentenced to life without parole Tuesday. Judge Nicholas Primm handed down the sentence following three days of testimony and arguments during Gray’s sentencing hearing. The ruling came about an hour after the court went to recess following the closing statements.
Reveal: The Rapid Rise of Right-Wing Militias
A photo went viral on Independence Day this year. It showed a Black woman on a Metro train in Washington, DC, surrounded by members of Patriot Front, a far-right white nationalist group. The picture, taken on America’s 250th anniversary, seemed to encapsulate not only the continuing story of race in America, but also this current moment when right-wing groups seem louder, prouder, and more public than they’ve been in decades.
Reed College recently settled a pair of complaints from former students who said they were targeted and harassed for being Jewish. The college agreed to update its discrimination policy, implement new training for students, faculty and staff and appoint a coordinator for Title VI civil rights complaints, among other changes.
Law enforcement officials did not inform a Virginia university of the terrorism-related conviction of a student who went on to open fire in an ROTC class in March, a report released Tuesday found. The attack injured two students and killed an Army veteran instructor who fought back with what the investigation called “extraordinary heroism.”
Associated Press: Defendant in Salman Rushdie stabbing declines to testify in terrorism trial
The man on trial in the stabbing of Salman Rushdie chose Tuesday not to testify or call any witnesses in the federal terrorism case, which is expected to head to the jury as soon as Wednesday.
The suspect accused of stabbing a Jewish man was charged with hate crimes. Raul Morales, who was arrested for the stabbings of a Jewish man and an Asian man Thursday on the Upper West Side, was arraigned Friday on two counts of attempted murder as a hate crime and other charges. He pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Canada
A group of Canadians detained overseas for allegedly being part of ISIS will “highly likely” pose a threat when they return home, warns an intelligence document obtained by Global News.
A Jewish family in Montreal was targeted with antisemitic abuse at La Fontaine Park on Sunday evening while spending the day with relatives who were visiting. The incident began when the father approached a woman who was walking two dogs in the children’s playground area. He calmly said dogs were not allowed.
Belgium
Brussels Times: Brussels shopkeeper dies after defending woman from abuse on tram
A well-known Brussels shopkeeper died over the weekend days after he was allegedly attacked on a tram on his way to work. SudInfo reports that Driss Atounane, who ran a supermarket on Place Liedts in Schaerbeek, was travelling on Tram 55 in Evere on Thursday afternoon when he intervened to defend a woman who was being verbally abused by a fellow passenger.
France
JNS: French Jewish leaders meet Sa’ar amid terror concerns
Amid concerns that France’s Jewish community is being targeted by terrorists plotting a major attack, leaders of French Jewry visited Israel on Sunday and met with Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar. The delegation from CRIF, the umbrella group of French-Jewish communities, met with Sa’r in Jerusalem, where CRIF President Yonathan Arfi and the group’s CEO, Robert Ejnes, among other representatives, discussed French-Israeli cooperation and the rise of antisemitism in the European nation, Sa’ar said in a statement.
Germany
Jewish Insider: Germany worst for antisemitic incidents per Jewish resident, report finds
Germany remained the country with the most antisemitic incidents relative to its Jewish population in 2025, among Diaspora countries with major Jewish populations, according to a new report from leading Jewish groups released on Wednesday. According to the report, nearly 70 antisemitic incidents per 1,000 Jewish residents were recorded in Germany in 2025.
A group of 36 schools operated by the Evangelical School Foundation in Berlin and Brandenburg has committed to explicitly combating antisemitism. The schools, which employ around 1,400 staff and educate more than 10,000 children and young people, will be obligated to the new regulation as of August 1.
Deutsche Welle: Germany: How effective are exit programs for Islamists?
Following Saturday's deadly attack by suspected Islamist assailant Abdul B. against Berlin's Pride event, a debate has erupted in Germany over what lessons the country should draw from the incident. The 21-year-old, who was later shot and killed by police while he was on the run, had had two intake interviews in June and July as part of a deradicalization program in Berlin.
Netherlands
Reuters: Three teenagers arrested in Dutch terrorism investigation, prosecutors say
Dutch police detained three teenagers overnight as part of a terrorism investigation, the national public prosecutor's office said on Wednesday. The three, aged between 16 and 19, were arrested in the cities of Alkmaar, Eindhoven and Rotterdam, and will appear before a magistrate on Friday, a spokesperson for the office said.
Sweden
In the aftermath of an anti-Israel demonstration in Gothenburg earlier this month where flags of EU-designated terrorist groups and banners inciting violence targeting Jews were openly displayed, the Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM) alerted Swedish and European officials and launched an international petition campaign demanding an investigation and future preventive action.
United Kingdom
BBC: Report on Jewish diaspora finds biggest rise in antisemitism in UK
The UK recorded the biggest rise in antisemitic incidents last year of any country with a major Jewish population outside Israel, according to a new report. The report, published by the J7 Large Communities' Task Force Against Antisemitism, also found that 2025 had been the deadliest year for Jews living outside Israel in more than three decades.
Fox News: Iran expert brands Islamic Center of England Iran's 'UK office,' urges immediate closure
A leading Iran expert has called on the British government to shut down an Islamic center that he claimed has been functioning as an office of the regime’s supreme leader amid a shocking report that Iran’s regime smuggled operatives into the United Kingdom. The Islamic Center of England recently came into the spotlight following revelations that the U.K. government has allegedly allowed the center to sponsor visas for imams. The report comes at a time when Iran has said Britain is a legitimate target if it allows the U.S. to use its bases to fly missions against Tehran.
The Times: Scottish far right is copying Nazi playbook, says Hitler expert
As the grey skies cleared on Saturday afternoon, some anti-immigration protesters at a rally in Glasgow decided to show gathered photographers who they really were. Posing for pictures, they raised their right hands, palms forwards, in what some press reports said “appeared to be Nazi salutes”.
Counter Terrorism Policing North East has warned against online harms following the conviction of a teenager for terrorism offences. The 17-year-old boy from Wakefield was 14 when he was arrested in November 2023. An intelligence led investigation into his online activity revealed an extremist mindset and a growing obsession with the manufacture of explosives.
Jerusalem Post: British Medical Association calls on NHS to halt IHRA roll-out pending legal opinion
The British Medical Association (BMA) is calling on National Health Service England to immediately pause the implementation of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism across NHS organizations, pending legal opinion.
Reuters: Norwegian teen found guilty in UK murder plot tied to Iran-linked group
A Norwegian teenager was convicted on Wednesday of conspiracy to commit murder in Britain after being recruited by a Swedish organised crime group that prosecutors said was being used by the Iranian government. Johannes Natland, now 19, was arrested in a hotel room in Huddersfield, northern England, in March last year with two firearms and ammunition in his possession.
The frontman of a right wing, nationalist Christian group is raising funds from across the UK, Europe and the United States to buy equipment for Scottish "night patrols" accused of targeting migrants.
Russia
Reuters: Russia charges Telegram founder Durov with aiding terrorism, he gives Moscow the finger
Russia said on Wednesday it had charged Telegram founder Pavel Durov with facilitating terrorist activity, alleging that his hugely popular messaging app was being used by Ukrainian spies to organise attacks inside Russia. In response, Telegram's official account on X posted an image of the Russian-born billionaire making an obscene gesture with his middle finger.
OC Media: Russia designates North Caucasian women and queer rights group ‘extremist’
Russia has designated the NC SOS Crisis Group an ‘extremist organisation’ The group offers support to women and queer people who are victims of domestic violence in the North Caucasus. It said it only learned of the decision a month later through a letter addressed to its director.
Afghanistan
Washington Post: Gunmen kill high-ranking Taliban official in Afghanistan in rare targeted attack
Gunmen killed a high-ranking local Taliban official in Afghanistan’s northwestern province of Badakhshan on Tuesday in a rare targeted killing in the country. Two gunmen shot Zabihullah Amiri, Badakhshan’s director of information and culture, as he headed from a local district to the provincial capital Faizabad, the Information Ministry said in a statement.
Afghanistan International: Two Taliban Members Killed In Armed Attack In Sar-e-Pul, Say Sources
Local sources in Sar-e-Pul say two Taliban members, including an intelligence employee and a soldier from the group’s 209 Army Corps, were killed in an armed attack in the provincial capital. The Taliban confirmed the shooting and the death of one person but did not identify the victim or acknowledge his affiliation with the group.
Afghanistan International: Taliban Launches Recruitment Drive Along Pakistan Border
Amid rising tensions and border clashes with Pakistan, the Taliban has begun recruiting soldiers in Kunar’s border districts. A spokesman said the programme is under way in six districts bordering Pakistan. Wahidullah Mohammadi, spokesman for the Taliban’s 201 Khalid bin Walid Army Corps, said the registration and recruitment of 160 people had so far been completed in Nari, Dangam, Shultan and Marawara districts.
Afghanistan International: Taliban Restrictions On Journalists & Media Continue, Says UN
UNAMA says the Taliban continued restricting media freedom through journalist detentions, media suspensions and broadcasting limits, documenting measures against Radio Bamyan, Lawang Radio and Rah-e-Farda TV. UNAMA’s quarterly report was released on Tuesday, 28 July.
Afghanistan International: Taliban Detained Nearly 400 In Three Months, Says UN
UNAMA says Taliban’s morality police arbitrarily detained 389 people in Afghanistan between 1 April and 30 June, while 65 others faced mistreatment by the ministry’s ombudsmen.
Gaza Strip/West Bank
Reuters: UN rights office warns of worsening settler violence in West Bank
The U.N. human rights office on Wednesday warned of worsening violence by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank, and urged international action against the killing of Palestinians as well as the creation of settlements, which it said had reached an all-time high.
Israel's security establishment is warning that the planned deployment of an international stabilization force in the Gaza Strip could restrict the IDF's operational freedom and enable Hamas to recover, after the security cabinet approved granting legal immunity to the force ahead of its entry into designated areas of the enclave on Sunday.
Iraq
Reuters: Saudi Arabia says it struck Iran-backed groups in Iraq with U.S. coordination
Saudi Arabia said on Wednesday that its armed forces, in coordination with U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), carried out "targeted strikes" against Iran-backed groups in Iraq that it said were responsible for drone attacks on the kingdom's oil facilities.
AFP: Iraq militants say 5 Iranians among those killed in US-Saudi strikes
US-Saudi strikes on the Hashed al-Shaabi, an armed Iraqi alliance that includes pro-Iran groups, killed five Iranian advisers, two sources from the alliance tell AFP. AFP correspondents saw coffins wrapped in Iranian flags during a funeral organized by the Hashed al-Shaabi in Baghdad for those killed. The sources said the Iranians died in a strike in the central Diyala province.
Jerusalem Post: Iraqi PM Zaidi condemns US-Saudi strikes on Iran-backed militias
Iraq’s National Security Council condemned the US and Saudi Arabia’s overnight joint strikes against Iran-backed Iraqi militias, after an emergency meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi on Wednesday.
Reuters: Explainer: Who are Iraq's Iranian-backed armed groups?
The U.S. and Saudi Arabia have struck Iran-backed Shi'ite armed groups in Iraq, which the allies said were responsible for drone attacks on Saudi oil facilities. The attacks have put the spotlight on the militias that wield enormous political and military power in Iraq.
Strikes launched by the U.S. and Saudi Arabia against Iran-allied fighters in Iraq have put Iraq’s government in a delicate position — and not for the first time. Since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion, Iraq has walked a tightrope between Washington and Tehran, seeking to avoid becoming a battleground for rival powers. The balancing act has only grown more fraught since the U.S. and Israel went to war with Iran in February.
Israel
The Israeli military was about to launch a nighttime strike on a group of men in southern Syria when the soldiers noticed the long curls dangling from the temples of their targets. The troops held their fire. These were not Syrian militants attempting to breach Israel’s border, but religious Jews who had slipped into Syria and were on their way back.
Lebanon
Naharnet: Geagea warns no lasting peace without Hezbollah disarmament
Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea has cautioned against reducing Lebanon's crisis solely to calls for a ceasefire and an Israeli withdrawal, urging politicians to couple any demand for an Israeli withdrawal with Hezbollah's disarmament. While acknowledging both as non-negotiable priorities, he argued that the core problem remains the existence of a statelet alongside the state that unilaterally dictates war and peace.
AFP: Lebanon arrests man suspected of transferring money to IS in Syria
Lebanese security forces have arrested a man accused of transferring nearly half a million dollars to the Islamic State group in neighboring Syria, a judicial official told AFP on Tuesday. Forces "arrested a man who had stolen $400,000 from his father's safe, and investigations showed that he had transferred the money to Syria" for IS, the official said on condition of anonymity.
New York Times: Israel Accuses Hezbollah of Launching Drone in Southern Lebanon
The Israeli military said Wednesday that Hezbollah had launched an explosive drone at one of its vehicles on a strategic ridge in southern Lebanon, raising fears of a renewed escalation on one of the most volatile front lines in the Middle East.
Syria
Rudaw: Syria dismantles two ISIS cells in Aleppo, seizes explosives
yrian security forces announced late Tuesday they had dismantled two Islamic State (ISIS) cells in Aleppo province and arrested seven suspects accused of planning attacks against government facilities.
Yemen
Reuters: Yemen’s Houthis considering fees for ships traversing the Red Sea, sources say
Yemen's Houthi group is considering imposing fees on commercial ships sailing through the southern Red Sea, a week after declaring a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia, regional sources with knowledge of the matter told Reuters.
Pakistan
Afghanistan International: 32 Militants Killed in Operations Across Two Provinces, Says Pakistan
Pakistan’s military says 32 militants, including members of the Pakistani Taliban, were killed in operations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan. The operations came as Islamabad continued to accuse the Afghan Taliban of providing sanctuary to members of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, an allegation the Taliban has denied.
Mali
Deutsche Welle: Could US airstrikes stop insurgency in Mali?
For years, Mali has struggled to contain a growing jihadist insurgency, particularly in the country's northern region. Following the withdrawal of French troops and despite the authorities' close cooperation with Russia, theal-Qaeda-linked Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) continues to expand its influence. Now, a new actor could enter the conflict: the United States (US).
Morocco
Arab Weekly: Morocco says prevention, AI key as terror threat mutates across Africa
Morocco has called for a fundamental overhaul of Africa’s counterterrorism strategy, urging the continent to move beyond predominantly military responses towards a broader approach that combines security, development, governance and technology as extremist groups increasingly exploit artificial intelligence, encrypted communications and digital platforms.
Niger
Africa Defense Forum: Terror Rivalry Fuels Chaos in Niger
Recent terrorist attacks by Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin and Islamic State Sahel Province in western Niger reveal the rapidly deteriorating security situation in the country’s western Tillaberi region where the two groups are competing for control.
Democratic Republic of Congo
Africa Defense Forum: Resurgent Group Spreads Terror in DRC
After years of losses to the joint military forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda, the Islamic State Central African Province (ISCAP) is resurgent and launching attacks throughout northeastern provinces of the DRC.
Indonesia
Kompas: When Extremism Threatens Children in the Digital “Kurusetra Field”
The digital space is no longer just a plain arena for social interaction. It has transformed into a fierce battleground for ideology. The Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs, Djamari Chaniago, referred to it as a Kurukshetra field that serves as an arena for the spread of hoaxes, disinformation, slander, and hatred.
Australia
An Australian man dubbed "Dr Jihad" has claimed he never intended to join Islamic State and never pledged allegiance to the extremist organisation, in a recently resurfaced interview. Last week's revelation that Tareq Kamleh was alive in an Iraqi prison, years after it was suspected he was killed in Syria, has reignited a fierce debate in Australia about the fate of foreigners who joined the failed caliphate.
Technology
Sportico: Kalshi Pays Social Account That Makes Anti-Black, Anti-Muslim Posts
An anonymous X account that frequently posts anti-Black and anti-Muslim messages collects checks from Kalshi, the prediction market operator valued at more than $20 billion. The user, who goes by Wall Street Mav and has 1.7 million followers, wrote Saturday that former ESPN analyst Ryan Clark, who is Black, acts like a “chimp.” A day later, the Kalshi-sponsored account appeared to pine for a cast of Miss Germany pageant finalists made solely of white people.
New York Times: Why Is Telegram Getting Into Trouble Around the World?
Telegram, a popular messaging app known for its resistance to government scrutiny, has been used widely by protesters and news organizations evading authoritarian control. However, it has also been accused of enabling terrorism, crime and disinformation.
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