Fact:
On April 3, 2017, the day Vladimir Putin was due to visit the city, a suicide bombing was carried out in the St. Petersburg metro, killing 15 people and injuring 64. An al-Qaeda affiliate, Imam Shamil Battalion, claimed responsibility.
Eye on Extremism: May 19, 2025
Top Stories
Wall Street Journal: Hamas Wanted to Torpedo Israel-Saudi Deal With Oct. 7 Attacks, Documents Reveal
Top leaders of Palestinian Islamist group Hamas launched their Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel aiming to torpedo peace negotiations between Israel and Saudi Arabia, according to minutes of a high-level meeting in Gaza that Israel’s military said it discovered in a tunnel beneath the enclave. Days before the assault that left nearly 1,200 dead, Yahya Sinwar, Hamas’s Gaza chief, told fellow militants that an “extraordinary act” was required to derail the normalization talks that he said risked marginalizing the Palestinian cause, the document, reviewed by The Wall Street Journal, said. Iran-backed Hamas’s onslaught of killing and kidnapping sparked an Israeli military campaign to destroy the militants that has killed more than 53,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health authorities, and left the territory in ruins. That has fueled anger across the Arab world and beyond, halting progress toward normalization, at least for now.
Jerusalem Post: World’s largest Jewish communities warn of rising global antisemitism – report
Jewish community leaders from seven countries released the first annual J7 Report on Antisemitism at a press conference in Berlin in May, documenting a marked rise in antisemitic incidents. The J7 Large Communities’ Task Force Against Antisemitism includes organizations from the United States, the United Kingdom, Argentina, Australia, Canada, France, and Germany. It was created in response to growing concern over antisemitism in Diaspora communities and works to promote data sharing and coordinated responses.
CEP Mentions
ACAMS podcast with CEP Senior Director Dr. Hans-Jakob Schindler: Countering Violent Extremist Groups
In this episode of “Financial Crime Matters,” Kieran talks with Dr. Hans-Jakob Schindler, senior director of the Counter Extremism Project about the current violent threats posed by Islamic radicals, and right-wing and left-wing extremist groups. Drawing on his expertise as senior director of the Counter Extremism Project and years of diplomatic service, Hans names the extremist organizations that currently threaten to unleash global violence. While detailing some of the catalysts for the militancy of these organizations—including ongoing conflict in the Middle East and Africa, and political polarization in the United States and Europe—Hans also discusses what financial institutions and government can do individually and in concert to cut off funding to terror groups.
CBS News: Combat sport clubs used to boost recruitment for white nationalist hate group, report says
Active Clubs have had a presence since 2023 in at least 34 states, including Arizona, California, Ohio, Kansas, Montana, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Florida, according to the Counter Extremism Project. The groups host training sessions, create propaganda videos and participate in demonstrations and flash rallies, according to experts. They push male supremacy ideology, share workout selfies and encourage each other to reach peak physicality in preparation for marches or possible future conflicts, experts say.
New York Sun: Trump’s Lifting of Syria Sanctions Assumes Great Risk for Potential Reward
With assessments by CEP Senior Director Dr. Hans-Jakob Schindler.
Analysis
Militant accelerationism poses a serious threat to democratic society - an increase in the scene's activities has been observed since 2018 at the latest, including the right-wing terrorist attack in Halle in 2019 and other foiled attack plans. The analysis underlines the existing threat potential and shows that German users are actively involved in the right-wing terror network: 83 so-called heavy users with particularly high activity, who pose an increased threat potential, have been identified among German users to date. It is also clear that Telegram's reactions remain inadequate despite the ongoing danger: Information provided by the platform itself shows that less than five percent of the identified groups have been blocked so far. Platform blocks are an effective means of removing radicalized users from the network.
United States
New York Times: Suspect in Palm Springs Bombing Died in Blast, Officials Say
Investigators on Sunday identified a 25-year-old man as the suspect in the bombing outside a fertility clinic in Palm Springs, Calif., as they searched for the motive behind the blast that damaged several blocks downtown and, they believe, killed him as well. The suspect, Guy Edward Bartkus of Twentynine Palms, Calif., had “nihilistic ideations,” authorities said, and had specifically targeted the clinic. Officials called the bombing an act of terrorism and said they were examining writings that could be related to the attack, which happened on Saturday. On a website that promotes the idea of terminating life, an audio recording features a man who said he was going to bomb an in vitro fertilization clinic because he was angry at his own existence.
A 25-year-old man the FBI believes was responsible for an explosion that ripped through a Southern California fertility clinic left behind “anti-pro-life” writings before carrying out an attack investigators called terrorism, authorities said Sunday. Guy Edward Bartkus of Twentynine Palms, California, was identified by the FBI as the suspect in the apparent car bomb detonation Saturday that damaged the clinic in the upscale city of Palm Springs in the desert east of Los Angeles. His writings seemed to indicate anti-natalist views, which hold that people should not continue to procreate, authorities said.
Naharnet: US seeks info on 'Hezbollah financial network' in South America
The U.S. Department of State’s Rewards for Justice program on Monday announced a reward of up to $10 million for information on “Hezbollah financial networks in South America.” “Hezbollah has maintained a presence in the Western Hemisphere since the 1980s, particularly in the Tri-Border Area (TBA) of Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay,” RFJ said.
New York Times: Israel and Antisemitism Loom Large as Issues in the N.Y.C. Mayor’s Race
Throughout most of his striking rise in the New York City mayoral race, Zohran Mamdani has attracted donors and young voters through a series of campaign-vérité videos, a breezy mixture of street wisdom and personality-driven, left-leaning messaging. But on Friday, Mr. Mamdani found himself quickly preparing a far more sober video to defend himself against the false perception that he had refused to condemn the Holocaust. His rapid response illustrated how a candidate’s stance on Israel and Jewish issues, especially during the divisive Israel-Gaza war, could carry outsize importance in the Democratic primary on June 24.
Pittsburgh Police and the FBI are investigating after antisemitic flyers were distributed throughout the city's Squirrel Hill neighborhood. A spokesperson for Pittsburgh Police says that officers from Zone 4 are investigating after the flyers with antisemitic messages were found on properties throughout Squirrel Hill.
A man was charged with a hate crime after allegedly harassing students at a North Miami Beach Jewish school, local media reported on Friday. Jose Alfredo Garrido, 24, was caught on surveillance footage picking up something from the ground and tossing it toward the school's field where some students were playing around 11:30 a.m., according to the police.
Jerusalem Post: Trump: US taking ‘unprecedented steps’ to combat antisemitism
US President Donald Trump vowed to combat antisemitism in the United States in a post on X/Twitter on Saturday. On the White House’s account, a video of the president extending well-wishes for Jewish Heritage Month was posted, thanking Jewish Americans for their societal contributions.
In Ohio – where LGBTQ+ people are not protected from hate crimes based on gender identity or sexual orientation – extremism experts say growing anti-LGBTQ+ sentiment and cultural “turf wars” are likely fueling incidents like the vandalism and theft Diamond and Fleeman experienced. Now, they are ramping up efforts to track and categorize anti-LGBTQ+ incidents as they occur, revealing a new and concerning pattern of anti-LGBTQ+ violence across Ohio and beyond.
European Union
Deutsche Welle: From AfD to Reform UK: The far right and European politics
The nationalist Alternative for Germany is shunned by other parties domestically. But elsewhere in Europe far-right parties are on the rise and some have made it into in government.
Germany
BILD: Mugshot published after knife attack in Bielefeld
According to the papers, the Syrian, who was born on January 1, 1990, allegedly stabbed guests with a knife and a cane in front of the Cuties bar early Sunday morning. Four men (22-27) and one woman (26) standing outside the bar were seriously injured, two of the victims were in danger of dying. Other visitors to the bar knocked the attacker down and injured him in the face. Nevertheless, he managed to escape. But his rucksack was left behind at the scene. According to the police, it contained "personal documents and a bottle containing an unknown liquid that smelled of petrol." This discovery led to the assessment that the perpetrator was clearly not acting spontaneously, but had planned an attack and had equipped himself for it. However, it is still unclear what his aim was.
ARD: After attack on police officer - Attorney General's Office investigates Nakba demonstration
Following the attack on a police officer at a pro-Palestinian rally, the public prosecutor's office in Berlin has taken over the investigation. The authority considers the incident to be an "attack on organs of the rule of law", as spokesman Sebastian Büchner told the German Press Agency on Friday. Due to the significance of the individual case, it has taken over the proceedings. The Public Prosecutor General's Office is therefore investigating dangerous bodily harm and aggravated breach of the peace. The police also said they were investigating assault and resistance to law enforcement officers as well as the shouting of banned slogans and the use of symbols of unconstitutional and terrorist organizations. A 36-year-old police officer was seriously injured on Thursday at a rally to mark Nabka Remembrance Day and is in hospital, according to police reports. The police officer was allegedly dragged into the crowd and "trampled", and his arm was broken, according to a police spokesperson. At its peak, around 1,100 people demonstrated in Kreuzberg, some of them aggressively against Israel and the war in Gaza, according to police reports. Around 1,000 police officers were deployed over the course of the day. There was "considerable violence from the crowd" towards police officers, it was reported. According to the spokesperson, 42 proceedings were initiated. There were 56 arrests.
German authorities blocked eight people, six men and two women, from flying to Milan on Thursday for a European neo-Nazi conference, BILD reported on Saturday. The party reportedly planned on attending the Remigration Summit hosted by members of the Identitarian Movement. One member of the group had reportedly been photographed performing the 'White Power' symbol at the airport. Authorities claimed to have blocked the travel plans as the Germans’ attendance could threaten the country’s national image. The summit’s X/Twitter page claimed that the group of Germans had managed to attend the conference despite the attempted block, after taking advantage of the same open borders that the group was condemning.
Italy
AleXsandro Palombo’s Holocaust mural at the Shoah Memorial in Milan was completely defaced in an act of “antisemitic fury” on Sunday, the artist told The Jerusalem Post. The work, The Jewish Simpsons Deported to Auschwitz, which depicts the famous cartoon family as deportees to Auschwitz, received international recognition after its unveiling in January 2023.
Poland
Associated Press: Right-wing populists hopeful after first round of Polish presidential election
There’s a long way to go yet in Poland’s presidential election but Sunday’s first round was a good day for candidates on the political right and far right, and it flashed a big red warning signal for the moderate government of Prime Minister Donald Tusk. Tusk’s candidate, liberal Warsaw Mayor Rafał Trzaskowski, and a conservative opponent backed by the Law and Justice party, Karol Nawrocki, emerged ahead in a pack of 13 candidates.
Portugal
Associated Press: Portugal’s election brings another minority government and a far-right rise
Portugal’s president convened the country’s political parties for consultations Monday, after a general election delivered another minority government as well as an unprecedented showing by populist party Chega (Enough) that added momentum to Europe’s shift to the far-right.
Spain
Jewish News Syndicate: Spanish Jewish leader wants EU legal action on anti-Israel vice premier
A leader of Spanish Jews said last week that the country’s deputy prime minister, Yolanda Díaz, must face “real political and legal consequences” for saying “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” during a speech last year. The statement by Raymond Forado, president of the Jewish Community of Barcelona, was unusual for a communal leader in speaking about a top official. He made the remark at the European Jewish Association’s annual conference in Madrid on May 13.
United Kingdom
Gary Lineker, the BBC's highest-paid presenter, will leave his role at the corporation on Sunday after his final episode of Match of the Day. His early departure comes after he shared a social media post about Zionism last week that included an illustration of a rat, historically used as an antisemitic insult.
BBC: Far-right leaders attempting to hijack success of Reform
Two prominent far-right figures have set out plans to hijack the success of Reform UK and push the party towards extremist views. David Clews, a conspiracy theorist and far-right influencer, and Mark Collett, a Nazi-sympathiser who set up the far-right Patriotic Alternative (PA), have called for supporters to "infiltrate" Nigel Farage's party to push their own "pro-white" and anti-immigration agenda.
More than 400 individuals who fought with the Islamic State terror group in Iraq and Syria have returned to the United Kingdom without facing prosecution, according to a new report by Parliament's Joint Committee on Human Rights. The committee said no IS (also known as ISIS, ISIL or Daesh) fighters have been successfully prosecuted in the U.K. for war crimes, genocide or crimes against humanity.
Iran
US special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff said Sunday that the Trump administration’s “red line” in nuclear talks with Iran was that Tehran cannot maintain any ability to enrich uranium. “We have one very, very clear red line, and that is enrichment. We cannot allow even 1% of an enrichment capability,” Witkoff told ABC’s “This Week.”
Times of Israel: Iran warns nuclear talks will fail if US pushes for zero enrichment
Nuclear talks between Iran and the United States “will lead nowhere” if Washington insists that Tehran drop its uranium enrichment activity to zero, state media quoted Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi on Monday as saying. US special envoy Steve Witkoff reiterated Washington’s stance on Sunday that any new deal between the US and Iran must include an agreement not to enrich uranium, a possible pathway to developing nuclear bombs.
Israel
New York Times: Amid Cease-Fire Talks, Israel Says It Has Expanded Ground Operations in Gaza
The Israeli military announced on Sunday that its forces had begun “extensive ground operations” throughout the northern and southern Gaza Strip, advancing its plan to move farther into the enclave and seize more land in an intensified campaign aimed at pressuring Hamas amid negotiations for a cease-fire. At the same time, the Israeli government said it would allow “a basic quantity of food” to enter Gaza. The announcement comes 11 weeks after it halted the entry of all goods and humanitarian assistance in an attempt to force Hamas into accepting a temporary extension of an earlier cease-fire deal that had expired. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office explained the abrupt reversal in Israeli policy as an “operational need to enable the expansion of the military operation to defeat Hamas,” adding in a statement that the military had recommended the step.
Reuters: Netanyahu says Israel will control Gaza as aid trucks prepare to enter
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday Israel would control the whole of Gaza despite mounting international pressure that forced it to lift a blockade on aid supplies which has left the enclave on the brink of famine. The Israeli military, which announced the start of a new operation on Friday, warned residents of the southern city of Khan Younis on Monday to evacuate to the coast immediately as it prepared "an unprecedented attack".
Reuters: Gaza ceasefire talks resume as Israeli assault kills hundreds in 72 hours
Israel and Hamas resumed ceasefire talks on Saturday in Qatar, both sides said, even as Israeli forces ramped up a bombing campaign that has killed hundreds of people over 72 hours, and mobilised for a massive new ground assault. Palestinian health authorities said at least 146 people had been confirmed killed in the third day of Israel's latest bombing campaign, one of the deadliest waves of strikes since a ceasefire collapsed in March. Many hundreds more were wounded in hospitals and countless others buried under rubble. Israel says it is mobilising to seize more ground in Gaza in a new campaign dubbed "Operation Gideon's Chariots", following a visit this week to the Middle East by U.S. President Donald Trump. It has halted all supplies entering Gaza since the start of March, leading to rising international concern over the plight of the enclave's 2.3 million residents.
Reuters: Israeli military kills Palestinian it says is suspected of attack on pregnant woman
The Israeli military said on Saturday that it killed a Palestinian in the occupied West Bank among a group suspected of being involved in an attack that killed a pregnant Israeli settler as she travelled to hospital to give birth this week. The woman, Tzeela Gez, was shot on Wednesday near the Brukhin settlement and pronounced dead at the hospital where her baby was delivered by caesarean section.
Jerusalem Post: Hamas offers to release half of remaining hostages for two month ceasefire
Hamas has offered to release half of the remaining living hostages and a number of bodies in exchange for a two-month ceasefire, Palestinian sources told Sky News Arabia. In addition to demanding a temporary ceasefire, Hamas also conditioned the release on the immediate resumption of aid deliveries. Hamas also wants strong American guarantees that negotiations to end the war will begin during the temporary ceasefire and that Israel will stop placing conditions and obstacles to the delivery of aid. The same source indicated that Hamas doubted whether the US was able to compel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to abide by the terms of any agreement. This comes hours after Netanyahu instructed the negotiating team to "exhaust all efforts" to release the hostages.
Times of Israel: Hamas leader Muhammad Sinwar’s body said found in Gaza tunnel hit by IDF last week
A series of Israeli airstrikes last week killed Muhammad Sinwar, the de facto commander of Hamas in Gaza, according to reports on Sunday that said his body was found in a Khan Younis tunnel. Muhammad Sinwar was the younger brother of the former Hamas leader in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar, who was killed by the IDF in southern Gaza last October.
A senior Palestinian terror operative was killed in an Israeli operation in the southern Gaza Strip early Monday morning, as the Israel Defense Forces denied that the effort was an attempt to rescue Israeli hostages. The military wing of the Popular Resistance Committees, a small terrorist organization operating in the Gaza Strip, announced the death of Ahmad Sarhan, following reports that the senior figure was killed in an Israeli commando raid this morning.
Lebanon
Naharnet: Aoun says exchanging messages with Hezbollah, disarmament can't be done hastily
President Joseph Aoun has said diplomatic contacts are ongoing especially with the U.S. to pressure Israel to stop its attacks on Lebanon, adding that Deputy U.S. Special Envoy for Middle East Morgan Ortagus will visit Lebanon soon. In an interview late Sunday with Egyptian digital television channel ON E, Aoun said the Israeli occupation of five Lebanese hills is preventing the Lebanese army from deploying on the border. "We are in constant contact with the U.S. to urge it to pressure Israel," he said, explaining that Lebanon is seeking a truce deal and not a normalization of ties with Israel.
Naharnet: Report: Decision to disarm Palestinian camps taken, Abbas' visit decisive
A decision to disarm the Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon has been taken and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ visit to Beirut on Wednesday will be “decisive in this regard in terms of devising the plans and executive mechanisms,” Lebanese sources informed on the Palestinian file said.
Naharnet: Report: Hezbollah quietly ceding posts north of Litani to army
Dialogue between the Lebanese state and Hezbollah over the latter’s remaining weapons is ongoing behind the scenes, a diplomatic source from the five-nation group for Lebanon said. “A number of sites north of the Litani River have been handed over, away from the spotlight and media coverage, as per the agreement between the two sides,” al-Liwaa newspaper quoted the source as saying.
Naharnet: Fayad: We won't accept that our people be left unprotected
Hezbollah MP Ali Fayad warned Monday that “the military, political and financial pressures that Lebanon is facing are expected to escalate,” noting that some sides mistakenly think that “their escalation will push the Lebanese people to surrender.” “These are wrong calculations, because threats boost the Lebanese society’s firmness and readiness to defend itself,” Fayad added.
Syria
Washington Post: The fall of Assad’s informant state leaves Syria riven by betrayals
The Assad regime made Syria an informant state, with surveillance that turned the country on itself. Neighbors and colleagues reported on each other in every district and workplace: what they said, where they went, who came for dinner. After more than half a century, that suffocating regime melted away overnight in December, as rebel forces marched on the capital, Damascus. Left behind is a society divided by the suspicion and perfidy, shadowed by the question of who among them had quietly contributed to the Assads’ tyranny.
New Arab: Deadly car bomb attack kills three policemen in eastern Syria
Three police officers were among four people killed in a car bomb attack near a police station in eastern Syria on Sunday, according to local reports. "Three police officers were martyred and two others were injured in an explosion that occurred today near the police station in the city of Al-Mayadeen in the eastern countryside of Deir Az-Zour," state news agency SANA reported.
Pakistan
Hindustan Times: Abu Saifullah, key LeT commander behind major attacks in India, killed in Pakistan
A key Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorist, Razaullah Nizamani alias Abu Saifullah Khalid, was shot dead by unidentified gunmen on Sunday in Pakistan's Sindh province. Nizamani was the commander of LeT and was the brain behind the 2006 attack on the RSS headquarters and several other major attacks in India. Razaullah Nizamani had left his residence at Matli in Sindh on Sunday afternoon. He was then gunned down by the assailants near a crossing at the Matli Phalkara chowk, not very far from his residence. He had reportedly been provided security by the Pakistani government. Pakistan army and the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) had told all LeT leaders and senior members after the Pahalgam terror attack and subsequent Operation Sindoor not to move about in the open.
Libya
Reuters: Libya's PM says eliminating militias is 'ongoing project' as ceasefire holds
Libyan Prime Minister Abdulhamid al-Dbeibah said on Saturday that eliminating militias is an "ongoing project," as a ceasefire after deadly clashes this week remained in place. "We will not spare anyone who continues to engage in corruption or extortion. Our goal is to create a Libya free of militias and corruption," Dbeibah said in a televised speech.
Mozambique
The Guardian: Ten dead in ‘brutal’ attacks by Isis-linked militants on Mozambique wildlife reserve
One of Africa’s largest protected areas has been shaken by a series of attacks by Islamic State-linked extremists, which have left at least 10 people dead. Conservationists in Niassa reserve, Mozambique, say decades of work to rebuild populations of lions, elephants and other keystone species are being jeopardised, as conservation operations grind to a halt.
Nigeria
Reuters: At least 20,000 flee insurgency-hit town in Nigeria, governor says
At least 20,000 people have fled Marte town following increasing attacks by Islamist militants in Nigeria's northeastern Borno state, its governor has said, four years after residents returned to the town that was once controlled by insurgents. Borno state has witnessed an upsurge in attacks, opens new tab by suspected Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) assailants this year, raising concerns that the militants are making gains again after years of intense attacks by the military.
Reuters: Militants kill at least 23 in Nigeria attack, security sources say
At least 23 farmers and fishermen were killed and others abducted by suspected Islamist militants in northeastern Nigeria's Borno state this week, security sources and local residents told Reuters. Nigeria has been grappling with a long-running insurgency in its northeast, primarily driven by the Islamist armed group Boko Haram and its offshoot, Islamic State West Africa Province. The latest attack happened in the village of Malam Karanti on Thursday morning, the security sources and residents said. Local resident Sani Auwal said by phone that militants had gathered farmers and fishermen near the village and killed 23 people, many of them bean farmers. They spared an elderly man who later alerted the community, he said. Another local resident Usman Ali said the community had tried to recover the bodies of those killed but had been chased back by the militants.
Somalia
New Arab: Suicide bomb kills several at Somali army camp: ministry
Several people were killed and others wounded when a suicide bomber thought to be from the Al-Shabab militant group targeted an army recruitment centre in Mogadishu on Sunday, Somali authorities and witnesses said. The attacker, disguised as a civilian, detonated explosives outside the Xero Damaayo camp in southern Mogadishu at 9:20 am (0620 GMT), the information ministry said.
Technology
High-ranking members of designated terrorist groups in the U.S. are among those who pay Elon Musk for X subscriptions, a study has found. Included in the group are an Al-Qaeda advisor, one of the founders of Hezbollah, the leader of a militia group in Iraq known to attack American troops, and a top official with the Houthi rebels, according to the investigation by the Tech Transparency Project.
Reuters: Telegram's Durov says French spy chief asked him to ban conservative Romanian voices
Pavel Durov, the founder of the Telegram messaging app, has accused the head of France's foreign intelligence agency of asking him to ban Romanian conservative voices ahead of the country's elections, adding he refused the request. Russian-born Durov is currently under judicial supervision in France, holed up in Paris' glitzy Crillon hotel after being placed under formal investigation for alleged organized crime on Telegram.
NL Times: Dutch antisemitism watchdog condemns Meta for failing to remove hate speech
The Dutch National Coordinator for Combating Antisemitism (NCAB) has publicly criticized Meta for failing to adequately moderate antisemitic content on its platforms. Coordinator Eddo Verdoner said the lack of enforcement allows hate speech to thrive, particularly in the comments section of popular social media account Cestmocro, which has a significant influence on Dutch youth, according to BNR.
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