Eye on Extremism: November 12, 2026
Top Stories
BBC: Hundreds of Italian schools hit by threats in suspected bomb hoax
Some 300 schools across Italy have received bomb threats, according to Education Minister Giuseppe Valditara, who described the incidents as probably a “cyber-attack, not a genuine risk.”
Valditara told Italian TV that there was a clear strategy behind the rash of threats in Italy and elsewhere in Europe which had targeted flights, supermarkets and even hospitals.
Deutsche Welle: Fears of rising antisemitism in Europe
Holocaust survivor Regina Sluszny commemorates the victims of Auschwitz as Jewish communities across Europe face growing hostility. What does the promise of “Never Again” mean for Jewish life in Europe today?
CEP Mentions
NTV: Nvidia affair: Schindler explains China’s possible calculations
Intelligence expert Hans-Jakob Schindler has a theory that ultimately, one party wins – and it's not Nvidia.
Yemen Online: Yemen weapons dealers selling machine-guns on X
Weapons dealers in Yemen are openly using the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, to sell Kalashnikovs, pistols, grenades and grenade-launchers. The traders operate in the capital Sana’a and other areas under control of the Houthis, a rebel group backed by Iran and proscribed as terrorists by the US and Australian governments. “It is inconceivable that they [the weapons dealers] are not operating on the Houthis’ behalf,” said the former British Ambassador to Yemen, Edmund Fitton-Brown, who now works for the Counter Extremism Project. “Purely private dealers who tried to profit from supplying, [for example] the government of Yemen, would be quickly shut down.”
CEP Senior Advisor Jacek Purski spoke before a screening of the educational film “Hate Is Not OK” at the “Hate Is Not OK” conference.
Radio Bielsko: November glows orange. Inauguration in the shadow of the tragedy in Krakow
CEP Senior Advisor Jacek Purski will lead a meeting titled “Radicalization as a Violent Process: Mechanisms, Recognition, Risk Assessment, and Prevention Strategies” on November 27.
Analysis
Guardian: What’s behind Australia’s surge in teen extremism?
In March, Guardian Australia revealed that most people who have been charged with the new federal crime of possession of violent extremist material are under 18. This week Australian federal police sounded the alarm about a surge in teen extremism: 32 of the 37 young people prosecuted in counter-terrorism cases since 2020 were charged in the past two years.
United States
The FBI on Tuesday placed a member of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on its Most Wanted Terrorists list for allegedly soliciting the murders of two former U.S. government officials.
Paul’s expected role as the ranking member on the HELP Committee, alongside the incoming chair, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), indicates that addressing campus antisemitism — a priority for outgoing chair Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) —is not likely to be a top agenda item for the committee in the next two years.
An indictment was unsealed today charging three Iran-backed operatives over their involvement in nearly 20 attacks targeting Jewish communities in Europe. The eight-count superseding indictment reveals charges against Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood al-Saadi, a dual Iranian-Iraqi national; Mohsen Mohajeri, an Iranian national; and Mohammad Ali al-Hassani, an Iraqi national, with terrorism-related offenses for their activities in support of Kataib Hezbollah and Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), two US designated foreign terrorist organizations (FTOs).
Three suspected Iran-backed terrorists plotted an attack on a British air base housing American troops using vans carrying barrels of fuel, according to a federal indictment unsealed Tuesday by the Justice Department (DOJ).
Rep.-elect Brad Lander’s (D-NY) new communications director is a “publicly self-identified communist,” who has denied Israel’s right to exist and equated the slogan “Am Yisrael Chai” — a Hebrew phrase meaning “the people of Israel live” — with “globalize the intifada,” and called for the abolition of all national borders.
Associated Press: An Idaho man gets 18 years in prison for an Islamic State support plot
An Idaho man has been sentenced to 18 years in federal prison for attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State group. Alexander Scott Mercurio, 21, pleaded guilty to the federal terrorism charge last month. U.S. District Judge David C. Nye sentenced him Tuesday and said Mercurio would be placed on lifetime supervised release after completing his prison term.
A Lancaster County, South Carolina, man pleaded guilty to hate crimes connected to defacing buildings at the Shalom Park Jewish complex in south Charlotte earlier this year.
News12: Police arrest man for allegedly drawing swastika on Jewish center door
A Brooklyn man has been arrested for allegedly drawing a swastika on the door of a Jewish center in Lawrence. Nassau police say that the incident happened on Nov. 6. They say officers responded to the Marion & Aaron JCC located at 140 Central Ave. and found the hate symbol.
Wired: ‘We Have to Take Over’: Far-Right Extremists Want to Seize Control of the GOP
On Election Day last week, white nationalist Nick Fuentes urged his supporters on X to “get out and vote Democrat today.” The post racked up over 12 million views. Hours later, in the wake of the Democratic sweep, Fuentes took credit for the victory. “We did it again” he wrote on Telegram, later calling the phenomenon “the Groyper Effect,” a reference to the nickname given to his followers.
JNS: Brooklyn man charged with drawing Nazi swastika on JCC in Lawrence
Saul Amantecatl Sanchez, of Brooklyn, was arrested on Tuesday for allegedly drawing a Nazi swastika on the Marion and Aaron Gural Jewish Community Center in Lawrence, N.Y., in the heart of the Five Towns Orthodox Jewish community.
Advocate: Florida voters elect Republican who marched with neo-Nazis in Charlottesville
A right-wing extremist who once cheered the prospect of executing gay people just won a seat in the Florida Legislature. Republican Marshall Rawson won 68.15 percent of the vote in Florida House District 10, easily beating Democrat Merrillee Malwitz Jipson in deep red North Florida. His victory was widely expected in the heavily Republican district. But in August, Rawson won the GOP primary for the open seat in a surprise victory over Chase Brannan, the son of retiring Florida Rep. Chuck Brannan.
Governing: Connecticut Launches Statewide Effort to Prevent Online Violence
A newly established state office will coordinate early intervention efforts as online extremist groups increasingly exploit children and other vulnerable individuals.
JNS: South Carolina man pleads guilty to hate crime for defacing Charlotte Jewish buildings
Dalton Ray Mullis, 24, of Indian Land in South Carolina, pleaded guilty to posting antisemitic materials, including a Totenkopf, at multiple sites within a Jewish complex in Charlotte, the U.S. Department of Justice said on Tuesday.
JNS: North Carolina man indicted for mailing antisemitic threats to Jewish groups
Brian Charles, 58, of North Carolina, was indicted for allegedly mailing antisemitic threats of violence to Jewish organizations and people under U.S. Secret Service protection in South Florida, the U.S. Department of Justice stated on Monday.
Canada
The Toronto Blue Jays have asked Anthony Santander to publicly address the controversy sparked by his decision to share anti-Muslim posts on social media. So far, the veteran outfielder has remained quiet and hasn't issued an apology.
JNS: Teen gets two years in custody for Toronto-area synagogue shootings
A teenager who opened fire on two Toronto-area synagogues in March was sentenced on Tuesday to two years in a custodial facility followed by one year of community supervision, the maximum penalty available for the offenses under Canada’s Youth Criminal Justice Act, Jewish organizations said.
Europe
Reuters: Hoax bomb alerts sent to schools in Italy, UK and Ireland in latest disruption
Schools across Italy were evacuated on Wednesday after around 6,300 of them received bomb warnings, the latest in a series of threats and cyberattacks around Europe against supermarkets, blood banks, air traffic and broadcasters.
Reuters: Saudi Arabia puts pressure on EU to label Yemen’s Houthis a terrorist group
Saudi Arabia is pressing the EU to designate Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi movement as a terrorist organisation, but has yet to overcome European concerns that this could undermine a future peace process, according to six European officials.
JNS: At Auschwitz memorial, leaders tackle modern antisemitism
Dozens of European Jewish community leaders and dignitaries commemorated Holocaust victims at Auschwitz-Birkenau in Poland on Tuesday, at an event organized by the European Jewish Association (EJA). The delegation, headed by EJA Chairman Rabbi Menachem Margolin, included Reza Pahlavi, the exiled crown prince of Iran, who is widely seen as a leader of the opposition to the ayatollah regime of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
France
New York Times: Writer Michel Houellebecq Investigated Over Anti-Muslim Remarks
Michel Houellebecq, one of France’s most famous and flamboyantly provocative writers, has been placed under investigation over accusations of inciting violence and racial hatred with comments he made about Muslims in 2022, according to French news media reports.
Germany
Satisfaction with democracy in Germany has reached an all-time low. At the same time, the past is being idealised and there is a growing yearning for an apocalyptic break with the present. Furthermore, there is a rising authoritarian desire for a strong party, and anti-Semitic statements are meeting with a high level of approval.
JNS: Israeli envoy to Germany: Jewish parents again fear for children’s safety
Eighty-eight years after Kristallnacht, Jewish parents in Germany once again fear for their children’s safety when sending them to school, Israeli Ambassador to Germany Ron Prosor said on Wednesday. “Jewish life is once again being targeted,” Prosor said in a post on X.
Italy
Reuters: Italy seeks to curb impact of hoax bomb alerts as more threats received
More than 1,800 Italian schools received hoax bomb warnings on Thursday but many opted to remain open, following new advice from the government for handling such security threats. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s government said public buildings should be cleared only if there is concrete evidence of danger after a wave of fake bomb alerts on Wednesday triggered school closures across Italy.
Netherlands
JNS: Dutch mayor intervenes over canceled synagogue exhibit
A Dutch mayor has intervened against a museum’s cancellation of an exhibition about a synagogue in Amersfoort, prompting local Jews to express cautious optimism that the event would be held as planned.
Poland
Polish President Karol Nawrocki joined hundreds of thousands of right-wing demonstrators, waving red-and-white national flags and chanting slogans, at an annual march on Wednesday to mark the country’s Independence Day.
France24: Polish independence day march gathers 250,000 in Warsaw: city authorities
Tens of thousands of Polish nationalist sympathisers gathered in Warsaw Wednesday for an annual Independence Day March, just days after a deadly shooting spree in Krakow that shook the country.
United Kingdom
Reuters: Two Iranian men found guilty in UK of assisting Iranian intelligence
Two Iranian men were found guilty on Thursday of spying on dissident journalists in Britain on behalf of Iran's Revolutionary Guards, a case British police said reflected increasing hostile activity by Iran.
JNS: UK Green councilor shared anti-Jewish posts—report
A city councilor representing the Green Party of England shared two posts on social media after October 2023 celebrating violence against Israelis and another warning Muslims no to support Jews, The Jewish Chronicle of London reported this week.
Afghanistan
Alexey Overchuk, Russia’s deputy prime minister, led a high-level delegation to meet Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the Taliban’s deputy prime minister for economic affairs, at the presidential palace after arriving in Kabul on Thursday, 12 November.
Documents and field findings obtained by the Hasht-e Subh Daily show that Gul Mohammad Osman, the Taliban Director of Public Health in Kandahar province, has been acquitted by the group’s court and has returned to his post. He had been detained and faced more than 20 charges of financial, administrative, and recruitment corruption, including selling positions, taking bribes from job seekers, and extorting health organizations.
Gaza Strip/West Bank
"There was flooding in Gaza, but the narrative and scale of suffering was written by Hamas before it even started raining," Justin Pozmanter, News Director at HonestReprorting told The Jerusalem Post on Wednesday. Pozmanter shared an exclusive report with the Post detailing how the Hamas-government winter campaign and a Hamas-run media office figure traveled from Telegram to the international press between November 1 to 10, 2026.
Times of Israel: IDF targets top Hamas commander in strike on south Gaza hospital; 6 said killed
An Israeli precision strike on a hospital in southern Gaza overnight targeted a Hamas brigade commander, the military said Thursday morning, as medics in the Strip reported six killed, including a surgeon, and at least 20 wounded in the attack.
Iran
Two Iranian men were convicted in Britain on Thursday of spying on journalists and critics of Tehran, the latest case raising alarm over Iranian operations beyond the Middle East, as France accuses the IRGC of unprecedented cyberattacks and a senior UAE official warns of Iranian sleeper cells abroad.
Lebanon
Naharnet: Report: ‘Hezbollah members’ arrested in north say they were there for ‘tourism’
The investigation into the five “Hezbollah members” who were arrested between the northern districts of Batroun and Bsharri is still in the intelligence-gathering phase and is expanding, focusing on the reasons for their movement in the area, judicial sources said.
Naharnet: Hezbollah chief calls Trump’s midterm defeat ‘an opportunity’
Hezbollah chief Sheikh Naim Qassem hailed on Wednesday President Donald Trump's recent midterm defeat, describing it as “an opportunity” for his Iran-backed Lebanese movement and other opponents of the U.S. in the region.
Naharnet: Gemayel: Hezbollah lost its way to the south, ending up in Bsharri and Tannourine
Kataeb Party Leader MP Sami Gemayel said Wednesday that Hezbollah has “lost its way to the south,” ending up in Fanar, Bsharri, Tannourine, and Dahr al-Baidar. The remarks, posted Wednesday on the X platform, come after security forces arrested five Hezbollah members on the outskirts of Batroun and Bsharri.
Naharnet: US expects army to disarm Hezbollah, calls it ‘root cause of Lebanon’s crises’
A U.S. State Department spokesperson told MTV that the Lebanon’s political, economic, and security crises share a single root cause: Hezbollah. The spokesperson said Washington expects the Lebanese army to proceed with disarming Hezbollah and dismantling its infrastructure nationwide, starting from pilot areas.
Naharnet: Salam vows strict investigation after arrest of 5 Hezbollah members near Bsharri-Batroun
Security forces arrested five Hezbollah members on Tuesday on the outskirts of Batroun and Bsharri. The five men reportedly had papers and maps, which they managed to tear up before their arrest. Journalist Riad Tawk reported in a video published by Beirut Time that the documents contained lists of locations across the Koura, Batroun, and Bsharri districts, as well as references to weapons, including sniper rifles.
Naharnet: UNIFIL peacekeepers say came under fire in south Lebanon
The United Nations peacekeeping force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) said on Tuesday that one of its patrols came under fire in the country's south, without saying who was responsible. The force, whose mandate in Lebanon expires at the end of this year, said the patrol “was fired upon with about a dozen rounds” near Wadi Jilou and returned fire, after which the shooting stopped.
Yemen
CNN: Yemen’s Houthis hold mass funeral as they call for action to protect civilians
A mass funeral procession was held in the Yemeni capital Sanaa on Wednesday for at least 43 people allegedly killed in an airstrike by the Saudi-led coalition, according to Saba news agency, which is run by the Iran-backed Houthi rebels. The victims were killed in a strike Saturday on six homes in Al-Shariya, a Yemeni village east of Sanaa, Saba said. Among the dead are 21 children and 10 women, the agency reported.
Shafaq News: Yemen IRG: About 219 Houthis killed, wounded or fled
Forces loyal to Yemen’s internationally recognized government (IRG) carried out 13 airstrikes and 67 drone operations against Houthi (Ansarallah) positions in recent hours, with about 219 Houthi commanders, members and supervisors killed or wounded or fleeing the battlefield, military spokesperson Majed Abdullah Al-Nuzaili claimed on Thursday.
Pakistan
At least 18 terrorists were killed while 10 policemen embraced martyrdom when a police party was ambushed on its way back after completing an operation against elements involved in illegal gold mining in Kohat’s Darabukach locality, police confirmed on Wednesday.
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Associated Press: Islamic State group-affiliated rebels kill at least 22 in Congo’s eastern region
A rebel group affiliated with the Islamic State group in Congo launched a series of attacks on remote communities near the Uganda border over the past two days, killing at least 22 people and abducting at least 10 others, civil society groups said Wednesday.
Nigeria
Premium Times: Islamic State is incentivising ISWAP to target military stockpiles in Nigeria, others
Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) pays fighters based on the weapons and military equipment they capture during attacks on Nigerian and regional military bases. A fixed price list set by the Islamic State, which funds the payments, assigns amounts to weapons, ammunition and military vehicles, new research from the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) shows.
Kenya
Eldoret Court Jails Man 7-Years for Possessing Terrorism Videos, Material Promoting Extremism
An Eldoret court has sentenced Patrick Wangeci, alias Jibril, to seven years in prison after convicting him on six terrorism-related counts.
Central Asia
The Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) has warned of growing terrorist activity, drug trafficking and the risk of conflict in the region following a joint meeting of foreign and defence ministers, and security council secretaries in Moscow.
Australia
AAP: New intelligence hub tackling online radicalization
National intelligence agencies will be brought together under one roof to tackle radicalisation and terrorism threats online. A Counter Terrorism Online Centre will be opened in Sydney on Friday, which will track national security threats and extremism from a single hub.
Researchers have shed light on the characteristics of people who post hateful comments online, in a study published by the Australian Institute of Criminology. The institute, a federal government crime research organisation, used the Australian eSafety commissioner's definition of online hate, framing it as “hateful posts or comments about a person or group based on discrimination or bias related to their identity or beliefs.”
J-Wire: AFP flags teenage terror threat after alleged Melbourne synagogue plot
An alleged plot to attack a synagogue in Melbourne has intensified Australian Federal Police concerns that online radicalisation is leaving investigators less time to prevent teenage violence. AFP Counter Terrorism Commander Paula Hudson has indicated that minors account for 40 per cent of the active Joint Counter Terrorism Team caseload this year.
Australian: PM says no to religion-free terror law
Anthony Albanese will stare down a push by a national security watchdog to scrap religion as a motive for terrorism in federal law, risking a backlash from Muslim leaders in Labor’s western Sydney heartland. Independent National Security Legislation Monitor Jake Blight is expected to recommend violent religious extremism be covered by a broader category of “ideology” in the Criminal Code’s definition of terrorism in a report to be tabled on November 20, weeks before the first anniversary of the Bondi massacre.
Technology
The Islamic State continues to pursue its nuclear ambitions as supporters exchange guides to making nuclear, chemical and biological weapons on a new online forum where would-be terrorists discuss planning attacks, an LBC investigation has found.
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