Eye on Extremism: June 23, 2026
Top Stories
Le Monde: Montréal gunman leaves behind manifesto inspired by the 'incel' movement
Gunshots rang out Monday morning, June 22, in the center-west part of Montréal, Québec, near one of the main thoroughfares of the Canadian metropolis. Montréal police officer Mohamed Lamine Benredouane, 34, and local resident Michael Mizrahi, 68, were killed. Another officer, a woman whose condition was later reported as stable, was also injured. "This is a tragedy, a nightmare," said Montréal police chief Fady Dagher on Monday.
As the United States and Iran move into negotiations over a permanent end to the war, a Jerusalem-based legal NGO is urging international bodies to keep criminal accountability on the agenda. The Jerusalem Institute of Justice (JIJ) has published a report arguing that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ missile and drone campaign against Israel and other states in the region should be examined as a potential series of war crimes.
CEP Mentions
Welt: The “systematic, organized fraud” and the delicate silence of the GIZ board
International organizations such as Human Rights Watch and the Counter Extremism Project report that SCMCHA has significant influence over staffing decisions, project approvals, tenders, and the choice of aid recipients. Even after Hamas took over on January 7th
United States
Jewish groups have condemned a Boston school principal for an email he sent apologizing to Arab, Muslim, Palestinian, and Lebanese students who were offended by a mandatory Holocaust lesson.
Ambassador Yehuda Kaploun, the Trump administration’s special envoy to monitor and combat antisemitism, said on Monday that his office, under President Donald Trump, had been given a broader remit across the federal government, including assisting in the recent arrest and indictment of an alleged mastermind of attacks on Jewish communities in Europe and the U.S.
Washington Times: National Education Association hit with federal antisemitism investigation
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has begun an investigation into allegations of antisemitism at the National Education Association, part of the Trump administration’s ongoing battle against rising anti-Jewish hostility on the left. The Brandeis Center Coalition to Combat Anti-Semitism said the federal probe comes in response to its charge filed last month accusing the nation’s largest teachers’ union of perpetuating “hostile environments for Jewish members” that have seeped into the classroom.
Reuters: DOJ probes coffee shop chain in New York after it bars pro-Israel US lawmaker
The Justice Department said on Monday it opened a probe into a small coffee shop chain in New York City which posted online that it would have turned away pro-Israel U.S. Representative Dan Goldman had it recognized him during a weekend visit. "The Civil Rights Division has opened an investigation and will bring an enforcement action if warranted," Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon said on X.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Monday defended his use of the word “monsters” to describe AIPAC at a rally Friday for progressive candidates, as some of his Jewish supporters expressed concern that the term may connote an antisemitic trope.
CNN: Mamdani defends criticism of AIPAC after being accused of antisemitism
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Monday defended his remarks last week sharply denouncing the American Israel Public Affairs Committee after prominent Jewish leaders accused him of antisemitism.
A Long Island Congressional candidate’s social media “likes” are full of hate. Suffolk County political hopeful Lukas Ventouras keeps giving the digital thumbs up to posts by Slums of the Hamptons, a year-old Instagram account studded with content which mocks Jews’ fears of rising antisemitism, lampoons Jewish celebrities and the Israeli Defense Forces.
In July 2024, X suspended antisemitic influencer Lucas Gage for six months for making “repeated and clear calls for violence.” This month, Gage was in Lakewood, New Jersey, explaining to two Jewish interviewers why he no longer considers himself an antisemite.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani compared AIPAC last week to “monsters” who “move millions in dark money to accomplish a single goal — to preserve their power, so that they can turn us against one another.”
KXAN Austin: 17-year-old charged with terrorism for alleged role in shootings
Cristian Mondragon, the 17-year-old facing multiple charges related to a string of shootings last month, has now been charged with terrorism, according to Travis County court records. Investigators arrested Mondragon and two minors in connection with a series of shootings, thefts and burglaries on May 16 and 17. The cases – spanning all across Austin – injured four people and prompted shelter-in-place alerts. Mondragon’s attorney told KXAN he has no comment at this time.
Jewish Insider: Collins accuses Platner of antisemitism, defends support for Israel
Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) accused Maine Democratic Senate nominee Graham Platner of antisemitism and defended her support for Israel in a Fox News interview on Monday.
Reuters: DOJ probes coffee shop chain in New York after it bars pro-Israel US lawmaker
The Justice Department said on Monday it opened a probe into a small coffee shop chain in New York City which posted online that it would have turned away pro-Israel U.S. Representative Dan Goldman had it recognized him during a weekend visit.
WRAL News: Durham man sentenced to 8 years in federal prison for helping ISIS, trying to join group
A federal judge sentenced a Durham man to eight years in federal prison for trying to provide help to ISIS. Alexander Justin White was arrested as he attempted to fly to North Africa to join ISIS as a terrorist and fight in an ISIS-controlled territory. White was taken into custody at Raleigh-Durham International Airport in December of 2024.
He calls Jews “a malevolent force throughout history,” praises Adolf Hitler as “a great man,” and urges Black Americans to “return to Africa.” Despite that history of hateful comments, he has now become the star of a pair of social-media videos for Tennessee Republican candidate for governor Monty Fritts.
Canada
A suspect armed with a long gun opened fire on Monday at a Montreal hotel, killing a police officer before officers returned fire, killing him, police said. A civilian also died but it wasn’t immediately clear who fired that shot.
A former neo-Nazi says white nationalist groups often raise local issues in an effort to gain legitimacy, promoting extremist ideas and trying to recruit new members in the process. Tony McAleer, now a Vancouver-based anti-hate activist, spoke to CBC News after Second Sons Canada's two recent northern Ontario visits.
European Union
A cross-party group of European and former Afghan lawmakers urged the European Union and its member states Tuesday not to host Taliban representatives for migration or deportation talks. They warned that official meetings would help legitimize the group’s rule in Afghanistan.
Belgium
Afghanistan International: Belgium Issues One-Day, Restricted Visas To Taliban Delegation
Belgium has announced that it has issued one-day visas to a five-member Taliban delegation to attend a European Union meeting on migration in Brussels. A spokesperson for Belgium’s Foreign Ministry said the visas carry limited territorial and temporal validity and are valid only in Belgium and for a single day.
United Kingdom
BBC: Man charged with terrorism-linked attempted murders in Edinburgh
A man has appeared in court charged with five counts of attempted murder linked to terrorism, following alleged anti-Muslim attacks in Edinburgh. Five people were hurt at various locations in the city on Friday night.
JTA: UK PM Starmer leaves behind mixed record on antisemitism
U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who resigned the premiership on Monday, leaves behind a mixed record on fighting antisemitism in the Labour Party that Jewish organizations say will help shape their expectations for his successor.
Afghanistan
The Afghanistan Freedom Front said it targeted a vehicle carrying Taliban Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice personnel in Kabul on Monday evening. The group claimed that two Taliban members were killed and two others wounded in the attack.
Afghanistan International: Taliban Raid Tamadon TV Offices & Shut Down Broadcasts
Tamadon TV in Afghanistan announced that Taliban forces shut down the network's broadcasts after raiding its headquarters in Kabul. Earlier, Tamadon TV reported that Taliban forces had stormed its offices and warned that its transmissions could soon be shut down..
Afghanistan International: Russia Reportedly Financing Taliban’s New Elite Unit, Say Sources
Two sources within the Taliban’s Ministry of Defence have confirmed to Afghanistan International that the formation of a new 8,000-member special force known as the “Hibati Unit” is under way. According to the sources, Russia is providing funding, training and military equipment for the force.
Gaza Strip/West Bank
The Palestinian Authority said Monday that Israeli troops shot dead two Palestinians aged 15 and 19, who, according to the IDF, had hurled Molotov cocktails at the southern West Bank settlement of Karmei Tzur overnight.
A ToI review finds obituaries published by Hamas and Islamic Jihad in recent weeks include several figures previously identified as press; widely cited media advocacy database removes several names of fighters it had said were journalists.
The IDF has expanded its operational control to approximately 70% of the Gaza Strip, and defense officials believe the area under Israeli control could grow further in the coming months.
The IDF and Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) killed a Nukhba terrorist in the northern Gaza Strip on Saturday, who had taken part in holding Omer Shem Tov in Hamas captivity after October 7, 2023, the military announced on Monday.
Iran
Reuters: Only Iran will control its unfrozen assets, Iranian envoy says
Iran alone will decide how to use assets that are unfrozen under a deal with the United States, an Iranian envoy said on Tuesday, denying Washington would have any control over the funds or that they must be used to buy U.S. commodities.
Israel
Hours before the latest round of direct talks between Jerusalem and Beirut were slated to kick off in Washington, Israeli leaders vowed to maintain a presence in southern Lebanon, while the slated negotiations were sidelined to a degree by developments in US-Iran talks.
Times of Israel: US-Iran Lebanon mechanism to include Iran, Qatar, Pakistan, exclude Israel – report
A new deconfliction mechanism for Lebanon established as part of the negotiations between the US and Iran in Switzerland over the weekend would exclude Israel and limit Israeli military action to only responding to “imminent threats,” rather than to the broader category of “emerging threats,” according to a Monday report.
Times of Israel: Shin Bet chief said to fear Oct 7-style attack on Eilat, despite no intel on threat
Shin Bet chief David Zini warned in closed forums recently about a potential mass attack on the southern city of Eilat resembling the Hamas invasion of October 7, 2023, the Haaretz daily reported on Monday, citing several unnamed security sources.
Lebanon
Jerusalem Post: A Call to Save Lebanon: Lebanese leaders urge action against Iranian interference
More than 400 Lebanese public figures, including politicians, religious leaders, and other prominent figures, have declared their support for a campaign advocating Lebanese sovereignty in opposition to both Iranian interference and the Israeli presence in the country on Monday.
Jerusalem Post: Hezbollah launches night operations to locate IDF senior command in southern Lebanon
IDF sources warn that Hezbollah appears to be using radio activity to locate and target senior field commanders in southern Lebanon, in a manner that raises red flags and will require a change in operational patterns.
AFP: Hezbollah decries 'blatant' truce violation after Israeli fire in Lebanon
Hezbollah decried what it called a "blatant violation" of the ceasefire in Lebanon on Tuesday, after state media there reported two people killed by Israeli gunfire in the country's south.
Naharnet: Ceasefire holds ahead of fifth round of Lebanon-Israel talks
After a first round of U.S.-Iran talks in Switzerland on ending the Middle East war, mediators Pakistan and Qatar said on Monday that Tehran and Washington had agreed to set up a "de-confliction cell" with Lebanon "to ensure the adherence of the termination of military operations" there.
Turkey
Reuters: Turkey detains 209 in anti-terror raids as security tightened ahead of NATO summit
Turkish authorities detained 209 people in anti-terrorism operations on Tuesday, prosecutors said, a day after Ankara imposed restrictions on public gatherings ahead of next month's NATO summit. Opposition groups said the raids were part of what they called a broader crackdown on democracy and civic freedoms in Turkey.
Yemen
Yemen Online: Houthis Launch Expansive Levy Campaign Across Multiple Governorates
The Houthi militia has in recent days initiated a sweeping levy campaign across its areas of control, targeting businesses and private establishments in Sana’a, Ibb, Dhamar, Hodeidah, Amran, Hajjah, Saada, and extending into parts of Taiz, Al-Bayda, and Al-Jawf.
Pakistan
Washington Post: Activists in Pakistan sentenced to life in prison over soldier's death during rally
An anti-terrorism court in Pakistan sentenced two leaders of a Baloch human rights group Monday to life in prison over the death of a paramilitary soldier during a rally in 2024.
Nigeria
Reuters: Attack kills 20 in Nigeria's central Plateau attack
Police in Nigeria's central Plateau state said on Tuesday that 20 people had been killed in a weekend attack on a community in Bokkos district, the latest in a region plagued by communal attacks, opens new tab despite repeated security deployments and government vows to stem the attacks.
Sudan
Reuters: Anger mounts as Sudan's army takes in Darfur paramilitary defectors
Last month, Ali Rizkallah, a commander in the Rapid Support Forces paramilitary group, was welcomed to Sudan’s capital Khartoum and given a uniform and a rank in the armed forces he had spent about three years fighting.
Philippines
Inquirer: Not just bullying? DOJ probes nihilistic extremism in Tacloban shooting
The Department of Justice (DOJ) is exploring the possibility that the shooting in Tacloban City may have stemmed from a pattern of Nihilistic Violent Extremism (NVE) rather than a simple case of school bullying.
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