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 7, 2025
Top Stories
New York Times: India Strikes Pakistan but Is Said to Have Lost Aircraft
India said early Wednesday that it had conducted several airstrikes on Pakistan, hailing a victory in the name of vengeance for the terrorist attack that killed 26 civilians in Kashmir last month. But evidence was also growing that the Indian forces may have taken heavy losses during the operation. At least two aircraft were said to have gone down in India and the Indian-controlled side of Kashmir, according to three officials, local news reports, and accounts of witnesses who had seen the debris of two.
Reuters: Merz's fumbled chancellor vote is big win for Germany's far right
Friedrich Merz's unprecedented first-round failure in the vote to make him German chancellor on Tuesday gave a boost to the far-right AfD, which just days ago was reeling from being officially labelled, opens new tab an extremist threat to democracy. At least 18 members of the conservative leader's coalition with the centre-left Social Democrats initially chose not to vote for him, highlighting the fragility of a government formed not out of choice or compatibility but out of a consensus decision to shut out the rising Alternative for Germany. The loveless coalition was the only two-party option left after second place in February's election went to the nationalist, anti-immigrant AfD, with whom all other parties refuse to work in an acknowledgment of Germany's traumatic Nazi past.
Analysis
RAND: Russian Mercenary and Paramilitary Groups in Africa
Since 2018, Russian private military contractors or mercenaries have proliferated across Africa. The largest mercenary outfit is the Wagner Group, which was led by Yevgeny Prigozhin until his death in 2023. Russian mercenaries serve as an important mechanism by which Moscow seeks to reduce its growing international economic and political isolation. Mercenaries help accomplish this by expanding Russia’s global footprint and influence at a relatively low cost. The authors describe how Russia’s armed presence in Africa has changed from mid-2023 to September 2024. The authors identify where Russian mercenaries have presences in Africa, what types of activities they perform, and the resulting implications of mercenaries’ use for African governments, economies, and civilian populations. The authors also examine how publics in countries where these mercenaries are present—and publics in neighboring countries—feel about and discuss Russian mercenaries and Russia itself.
Jerusalem Post: Why Oman helped stop US-Houthi war
Oman helped pave the way for a ceasefire between the US and the Iran-backed Houthis in order to demonstrate its capability in brokering a deal. Oman’s Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi wrote online that he was pleased that Oman’s mediation efforts had ended the conflict. The conflict between the US and the Houthis increased on March 15 when the Trump administration decided to begin wide-ranging airstrikes on the group. The US had been carrying out strikes over the past year and a half as part of an operation called Prosperity Guardian in the Red Sea, aimed at protecting shipping. The Trump administration decided to go a step further. Oman aimed to help resolve this conflict, as it is a key player in the Iran-US talks that have occurred over the past month. Oman hosted two rounds of these talks.
United States
Reuters: Trump announces deal to stop bombing Houthis, end shipping attacks
President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday the U.S. will stop bombing the Houthis in Yemen, saying that the Iran-aligned group had agreed to stop interrupting important shipping lanes in the Middle East. After Trump made the announcement, Oman said it had mediated the ceasefire deal, marking a major shift in Houthi policy since the start of Israel's war in Gaza in October 2023. Under the agreement, neither the U.S. nor the Houthis would target the other, including U.S. vessels in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab Strait, Oman said in a statement. The statement from Oman did not mention whether the Houthis had agreed to stop attacks on Israel. The head of Yemen's Houthi Supreme Political Council, Mahdi al-Mashat, said the group would continue to support Gaza and that such attacks would continue.
Reuters: Iran-born engineer denied bail ahead of US trial tied to drone strike
A U.S. judge declined on Tuesday to allow an Iranian-born engineer to be released on bail while he awaits trial on charges related to a deadly drone attack on a U.S. military base in Jordan carried out by Iran-backed militants last year. U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani in Boston ruled, opens new tab that the risk that Mahdi Sadeghi might flee was too great to allow him to be released on bond while he awaited trial on charges that he engaged in a scheme to violate U.S. export control and sanctions laws.
A sick neo-Nazi sextortion ring that blackmails teens into making sick videos has become so prevalent across the US that every FBI field office in the country has at least one open case on the group, according to a shocking new report. The FBI currently has more than 250 open investigations into the group, known as “764,” among other aliases, the agency told ABC.
A white supremacist, along with other attackers, allegedly assaulted a gay University of Wyoming student, according to a bias report filed by his professor. However, the student did not respond to the professor’s request for further information, and there is no other evidence the attack occurred.
District Attorney General Glenn Funk testified late Tuesday that he took precautions following what a police detective called a "vaguely worded" online threat by a Texas neo-Nazi. That came as the federal trial began for David Bloyed, 60, of Frost, Texas, who is charged with using interstate communications to make a threat. Bloyed is an admitted member of the Goyim Defense League, the group that descended onto Nashville streets last July.
Fox News: University of Washington faces Trump admin antisemitism scrutiny over anti-Israel protests
The Trump administration has announced it is investigating the anti-Israel protest at the University of Washington on Monday where students occupied an engineering building and set two dumpsters on fire before police in riot gear moved in and arrested 30 people. The Task Force to Combat Antisemitism, a multi-agency task force created by President Donald Trump in February, said it is reviewing the "eruption of anti-Semitic harassment and violence" on the Seattle campus, although it praised the university’s swift response and strongly worded statement condemning the actions of the protesters.
Washington Post: GOP to grill universities ‘beyond the Ivy League’ about antisemitism
As the House Education Committee prepares for another hearing on the issue — meetings that, in the past, have led Ivy League presidents to resign — the stakes have only intensified. The Trump administration has threatened scores of colleges with investigations and frozen billions of dollars in federal funding to several universities. Rep. Lisa C. McClain (Michigan), the House Republican conference chairwoman, said at a news conference Tuesday that if the students behind her didn’t feel safe on campus, “maybe the university endowments shouldn’t feel safe.” On Wednesday, the committee plans to question three college presidents in a hearing it calls “Beyond the Ivy League: Stopping the Spread of Antisemitism on American Campuses.”
The United States government is offering a reward of up to USD10 million for information leading to the whereabouts of Abdullahi Banati, an al-Shabaab operative linked to the 2020 terror attack at Manda Bay in Lamu County, Kenya. The bounty was announced under the US State Department’s Rewards for Justice (RFJ) Program, which stated that Banati played a role in the “operational planning” of the January 2020 pre-dawn raid on Camp Simba, a military installation within the Cooperative Security Location (CSL) in Manda Bay.
Brazil
Euronews: Foiled Brazilian terrorist plot against Lady Gaga gets sinister 'satanist' twist
Brazilian authorities have shared new details, reporting that a suspect had been planning to execute a “satanist ritual by killing a child or baby”, as the suspect reportedly believes Lady Gaga is a Satanist.
A suspected terrorist who allegedly planned to kill Lady Gaga fans in a sickening attack on her record-breaking Brazil concert was deported from the US only last month, Brazilian authorities have revealed. Luis da Silva, 44, wanted to livestream the execution of children and set up bombs close to the stage during Gaga’s performance to 2.5 million fans on Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro on Saturday, investigators said.
Belgium
Ynet: Belgian bowling alley fires staff over antisemitic abuse of Jewish customers
Two employees at an Antwerp bowling alley dismissed after antisemitic message targeting Jewish customers appeared on a screen; company issues apology, condemning incident and emphasizing its commitment to inclusivity
France
France’s National Assembly is set to continue its second day of discussions over a bill to combat antisemitism in higher education, following a tense first day of debate in the assembly over the text that was unanimously approved by the Senate. The text was brought by Pierre Henriet and Constance Le Grip, with the aim of enhancing prevention and reporting systems in French education, as well as making it mandatory that each university have a representative responsible for the fight against racism and antisemitism.
Germany
Deutsche Welle: Germany sees new debate over possible ban of the AfD
On Friday, the Alternative for Germany (AfD) was classified as "confirmed right-wing extremist" by Germany's domestic intelligence agency, the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV). Now, there has been a first fallout: two AfD politicians and parliamentarians are not allowed to accompany Hesse's Minister for European affairs, Manfred Pentz, on a trip to Serbia and Croatia. Pentz explained that he could not expect international partners "to sit down at the same table with representatives of a party that has been confirmed as right-wing extremist." Further measures also threaten the radical right-wing party: several federal states want to examine whether being a civil servant, including judges, police officers, teachers, or soldiers, is still compatible with being a member of the AfD.
Reuters: Germany's Merz says ban on far-right AfD won't solve problem
Germany's new Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Tuesday that simply banning the far-right Alternative for Germany would not end the groundswell of support for it, noting it was key instead to fight the causes.The designation last Friday of the AfD as an "extremist" entity by the German domestic intelligence agency has revived a debate about whether lawmakers should seek a ban on the anti-Muslim, nationalist party.
Greece
Ekathimerini: Police crack down on Thessaloniki youth far-right group, arrests include 12 minors
A police operation was launched Friday in Thessaloniki targeting a far-right group, Nationalist Youth of Thessaloniki, also known as Defense Thessaloniki. Authorities have so far arrested 25 individuals, including 12 minors, in connection with a series of violent incidents.
Poland
EURACTIV: EU lifts immunity of Polish far-right presidential candidate
Controversial far-right Polish MEP Grzegorz Braun, who is running for president of Poland in the upcoming elections, was stripped of his parliamentary immunity on Tuesday. Braun will be prosecuted by the Polish authorities in connection with an incident in December 2023, when, as a member of the Polish parliament, he used a fire extinguisher to put out Hanukkah candles in the Polish parliament as a gesture of protest against the celebration of Jewish holidays in Poland.
Romania
BBC: Romanian PM resigns and pulls out of coalition after nationalist vote win
Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu has resigned and his Social Democrat party is to leave the government after a right-wing nationalist candidate won the first round of the presidential election. George Simion, a eurosceptic who has promised to put Romania first, won 40.9% of Sunday's vote and is expected to win a run-off vote on 18 May.
United Kingdom
Reuters: Iran says 'disturbed' by UK arrest of Iranians in terrorism probes
Iran's foreign ministry rejected accusations brought by Britain following the weekend arrest of seven Iranians in two separate counter-terrorism operations, state media reported on Wednesday. Four of the detained Iranians were suspected of plotting to target specific premises, while the three others were suspected of involvement in foreign power threat activity, according to British police, who extended their detention until May 10 for questioning.
Financial Times: Iran’s ambassador to London to be summoned over UK terror arrests
Iran’s ambassador to the UK will be summoned after counterterrorism police arrested two groups of Iranians in separate operations last weekend, security minister Dan Jarvis said on Tuesday. Jarvis told the House of Commons the arrests of eight Iranian nationals were “some of the largest counter-state threats and counterterrorism actions that we have seen in recent times”. He added that Foreign Office minister Hamish Falconer “will be meeting with the Iranian ambassador to discuss these matters”.
The National: UK police question Iranian terror suspects as officials consider IRGC ban
British officials will shortly announce a decision on proscribing Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as English police are given more time to question Iranians arrested on suspicion of preparing acts of terrorism. Britain's Security Minister Dan Jarvis has revealed that the findings of a review by Jonathan Hall, the government's security adviser, on how to take action against Iran would be published soon.
Gaza Strip
Reuters: Almost half of Gazans willing to leave, survey finds
Almost half of Gazans may be willing to apply to Israel to help them leave to other countries, according to a survey on Tuesday that also showed significant support for anti-Hamas protests. The survey by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research was based on polling of people across the Gaza Strip and in the occupied West Bank between May 1-4, some six weeks after Israeli forces resumed operations in Gaza following the breakdown of a brief ceasefire. The Center, a think tank based in Ramallah and funded by Western donors, said in the report that 49% of those surveyed declared that they would be willing to apply to Israel to help them emigrate via Israeli ports and airports, against 50% who said they would not be willing to do so.
Reuters: Exclusive: US, Israel discuss possible US-led administration for Gaza, sources say
The United States and Israel have discussed the possibility of Washington leading a temporary post-war administration of Gaza, according to five people familiar with the matter. The "high-level" consultations have centered around a transitional government headed by a U.S. official that would oversee Gaza until it had been demilitarized and stabilized, and a viable Palestinian administration had emerged, the sources said.
Iran
The head of Iran’s judiciary said clerics and Basij paramilitary forces were deployed to detention centers during the 2022 Woman, Life, Freedom protests in what he said was a move to offer guidance to detainees, including schoolchildren and university students. "The events of 2022 resulted in approximately 90,000 legal cases,” judiciary chief Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei said on Tuesday. “The defendants and convicts in these cases came from various segments of society. Among them were, in some cases, teachers, school students, and university students.”
Reuters: Iran welcomes end of US attacks on Yemen, foreign ministry says
ran welcomes the end of U.S. attacks on Yemen, its foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Wednesday after President Donald Trump announced Washington would stop bombing the Iran-aligned Yemeni Houthi militia. Trump said Yemen's Houthis had agreed to stop disrupting important shipping lanes in the Middle East.
Israel
Reuters: Israel says 24 hostages alive in Gaza after Trump comment alarms families
An Israeli official said on Wednesday that 24 hostages were alive in Gaza after U.S. President Donald Trump said the number was 21, alarming the families of hostages. Gal Hirsch, Israel's coordinator for hostage issues, said in a post on X that the Palestinian militant group Hamas was holding 59 hostages of whom 24 were alive and 35 dead - figures unchanged since before Trump spoke.
Reuters: Israel hits Yemen's main airport in airstrike against Houthis
The Israeli military carried out an airstrike on Yemen's main airport in Sanaa on Tuesday, its second attack in two days on Iran-aligned Houthi rebels after a surge in tensions between the group and Israel. Three people were killed in the strike, according to Houthi-run Al-Masirah TV. Israel warned people to leave the area around Sanaa International Airport before Tuesday's attack, which it said targeted Houthi infrastructure and "fully disabled the airport". Witnesses later reported four strikes in the capital. "A short while ago, IDF (Israel Defence Forces) fighter jets struck and dismantled Houthi terrorist infrastructure at the main airport in Sanaa, fully disabling the airport," the Israeli military said.
Reuters: US-Houthi ceasefire deal does not include Israel, says Houthi spokesperson
A ceasefire deal between Yemen's Houthis and the U.S. does not include sparing Israel, the group said on Wednesday, suggesting its shipping attacks that have disrupted global trade and challenged world powers will not come to a complete halt. President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday the U.S. would stop bombing the Iran-aligned Houthis in Yemen, saying that the group had agreed to stop attacking U.S. ships.
Jerusalem Post: Israel blindsided by Trump's Houthi announcement
Israel was not informed in advance about US President Donald Trump's announcement regarding the Houthis, an informed source told The Jerusalem Post on Tuesday. Trump said on Tuesday that the US will stop bombing the Houthis in Yemen after claiming that the Iran-aligned group agreed to stop interrupting important shipping lanes in the Middle East. The comments came during an Oval Office meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, when Trump announced that the Houthis have said that they no longer want to fight, but did not elaborate on the message. During Tuesday's Israel Air Force airstrikes on Sanaa, the Trump administration provided a support system "so that if something goes wrong, they will assist."
Iran International: Israel warns Houthis and Iran of devastating retaliation
Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations warned that any further attacks from Yemen’s Houthi militia or their Iranian backers would be met with crushing force, saying such action would render their “own lands unrecognizable.” “If the Houthis and their Iranian masters want to play with fire, they will find their own lands unrecognizable,” Danny Danon said Tuesday during Israeli Independence Day celebrations at UN Headquarters in New York.
Lebanon
Naharnet: Israeli strike in Sidon kills Hamas commander
Hamas said one of its commanders was killed in an Israeli strike on the south Lebanon city of Sidon on Wednesday, the latest attack despite a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah. Lebanon's state-run National News Agency said the dawn strike killed one person. Hamas named him as Khaled Ahmed al-Ahmed and said he was on his way to pray.
Naharnet: Hezbollah commander killed in Israeli strike in Kfar Rumman
The Israeli army said a drone strike Tuesday in the southern town of Kfar Rumman killed Adnan Mohammad Sadeq Harb, the “commander of the logistic support unit in the Badr formation” of Hezbollah, which “operates in the northern Litani area in Lebanon.” “As part of his role, (Harb) advanced the restoration of the combat capabilities of … Hezbollah and assisted in attempts to restore terrorist infrastructure south of the Litani River,” the Israeli army added.
Naharnet: Hezbollah says it tipped off Turkey on seized pagers shipment
Turkey's intelligence service thwarted a remote attack using pagers last year in Lebanon, days after similar attacks by Israel killed dozens and wounded thousands, including members of Lebanon's Hezbollah group, a Turkish daily and officials said. Daily Sabah reported that 1,300 pagers and 710 chargers rigged with explosives were confiscated inside a cargo shipment at Istanbul Airport that was on its way to Beirut from Hong Kong.
Syria
Reuters: Exclusive: UAE mediating secret talks between Israel and Syria, sources say
The United Arab Emirates has set up a backchannel for talks between Israel and Syria, three people familiar with the matter said, as Syria's new rulers seek regional help to manage an increasingly hostile relationship with their southern neighbour. The indirect contacts, which have not been previously reported, are focused on security and intelligence matters and confidence-building between two states with no official relations, a person with direct knowledge of the matter, a Syrian security source and a regional intelligence official said.
Niger
Reuters: About 10 Niger soldiers killed in attack in the south, authorities say
About 10 soldiers were killed and seven injured in an attack in Niger's Dosso region this week, authorities said in a statement broadcast on state radio, while a security source told Reuters the death toll could be higher. The statement attributed Monday's ambush in southern Niger to "terrorists" and said several of the assailants had been killed and others arrested.
Sudan
Reuters: Drone strikes pound Port Sudan, putting aid deliveries at risk
Explosions and fires rocked Sudan's wartime capital Port Sudan on Tuesday, a witness said, part of a days-long drone assault that has torched the country's biggest fuel depots and damaged its main gateway for humanitarian aid. The action included drone strikes by Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) that targeted Port Sudan's container terminal, British maritime security firm Ambrey reported. The strikes were the most intense since the Port Sudan attack began on Sunday, marking a major escalation in the two-year-old conflict. Drones have played an increasing role in the fighting and helped the army advance earlier this year. Massive columns of black smoke billowed from Sudan's main strategic fuel caches near the port and airport on Tuesday, a witness in the city said, while strikes also hit an electricity substation and a hotel near the presidential residence.
Pakistan
Reuters: Who are Pakistan-based LeT and JeM groups targeted by Indian strikes?
India said on Wednesday it hit nine sites in Pakistan "from where terrorist attacks against India have been planned and directed", following last month's deadly attack in Kashmir. The nuclear-armed neighbours have fought two wars since independence from colonial ruler Britain in 1947 over the mainly Muslim region that both rule in part, while claiming in full.
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