Eye on Extremism: October 15, 2026
Top Stories
CNN: Two cargo ships sunk in Strait of Hormuz as Iran ramps up attacks in run-up to midterms
Two cargo ships have sunk near the Strait of Hormuz in the past 24 hours after being struck by unknown projectiles in separate incidents – highlighting the heightened danger to shipping as Iran steps up attacks in an attempt to regain control over the critical waterway.
Leaders of major Jewish communities around the world have warned that the challenge of combatting antisemitism remains immense, despite a year of efforts to monitor online hatred, strengthen security and increase funding to protect vulnerable communities.
CEP Mentions
CEP Senior Director Hans-Jakob Schindler discusses Washington’s military options and political calculations concerning the War against Iran.
CEP Senior Director Hans-Jakob Schindler comments on the narratives promoted by the Iranian regime in the context of U.S. elections and the War against Iran.
Analysis
Washington Institute for Near East Policy: Hezbollah’s Hired Hands in Brazil
Operation Trapiche revealed how Hezbollah is outsourcing operatives, criminal revenue, and financial services to build deniable capabilities in Latin America.
United States
TNND: Ted Cruz says the Republican Party has a "groyper" problem
Texas GOP Sen. Ted Cruz said during an interview that the Republican Party has a “groyper” problem. “Groyper” is a term used to describe the supporters of white nationalist streamer Nick Fuentes. Fuentes has made racist comments about minorities and antisemitic comments on his show.
A 19-year-old Palatine man is facing multiple felony charges after authorities say a co-worker reported statements in which he expressed hatred toward other races and discussed plans for a violent attack.
JTA: Bomb threat hoaxes called into four U.S. Jewish day schools
Bomb threat hoaxes targeting four U.S. Jewish day schools resulted in evacuations and a lockdown within the last week. Hoaxers called in threats two minutes apart on Oct. 9 to two Brooklyn yeshivas, the Yeshivah of Flatbush Joel Braverman High School and the United Talmudical Academy of Williamsburg, News 12 reported. Police later determined the threats were hoaxes.
Times of Israel: Another Delta flight from NY to Israel reportedly inspected after bomb threat
A bomb threat was called into another Delta flight from New York to Israel, the Kan public broadcaster reports, but was given the all-clear to depart after the plane was inspected by US security officials.
JNS: Bipartisan Pennsylvania lawmakers introduce bill to adopt IHRA definition of Jew-hatred
A day after JNS reported that Andrea Martin, a new Jewish human relations commissioner in Pennsylvania, hopes that the state will amend its statutes to include the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism, a bipartisan group of lawmakers introduced a measure to that effect.
JTA: Ossoff and Collins face off over white nationalism, Epstein, El-Sayed and Hasan Piker
Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff reaffirmed Israel’s right to combat Hamas in Gaza while stressing that its use of U.S. weapons must be in compliance with international law during a debate on Tuesday ahead of the Nov. 3 elections.
Jewish Insider: Top N.J. Dem recruit campaigned alongside New Jersey mayor accused of antisemitism
New Jersey Democratic House candidate Rebecca Bennett campaigned this week alongside Linden, N.J., Mayor Derek Armstead, a Democrat who has been accused of antisemitic discrimination in an ongoing lawsuit, at an event that also featured House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY).
JNS: Blakeman blasts Hochul on Jew-hatred, calls Mamdani ‘antisemite’ in NY gubernatorial debate
Bruce Blakeman, Nassau County executive and Republican nominee for New York governor, accused Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, of failing to protect Jewish New Yorkers and “campaigning around” New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who has drawn criticism frequently from New York Jewish and Israeli leaders.
Canada
CBC: RCMP investigating report of racist election banner near Steinbach, Man.
RCMP in Steinbach are investigating after an image of a racist election sign hanging from a highway overpass was circulated online.
Finland
YLE: Finland's appeal court cuts Simon Ekpa's terrorism sentence to four years
The Court of Appeal has upheld the decision by Päijät-Häme District Court last year to find Simon Ekpa guilty of terrorism-related charges. However, the appeal court reduced the amount of time Ekpa will spend behind bars from six years to four.
France
The 14-year-old who shot his principal and a teacher at his school in Aubagne has been charged with terrorism offenses. A researcher links nine school attacks in France since 2008 to the online movement glorifying mass killers.
Germany
Deutsche Welle: Germany: Far-right AfD forges a pro-Russia alliance
The state parliament of the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt is calling for an immediate end to all German financial and military aid to Ukraine. The motion was passed during a special parliamentary session with the votes of the far-right populist Alternative for Germany (AfD) and the Alliance for Social Justice and Economic Reason (BSW) which combines left-leaning economic positions with right-wing populist positions on immigration.
Ireland
RTE: Dublin hotel accused of antisemitism by Jewish group
The President of the Jewish Representative Council of Ireland has accused a Dublin hotel of antisemitism after he said they cancelled 70 rooms reserved for delegates attending a conference combating antisemitism in the capital.
Italy
JTA: Mayor in Italy regrets compelling visiting teachers to disavow Israel’s military actions
The mayor of Reggio Emilia, Italy, apologized Wednesday after educators from Jewish schools across the U.S. canceled a study trip amid a dispute over whether the hosts would require participants to sign a declaration distancing themselves from Israel’s actions in Gaza and the West Bank.
United Kingdom
Reuters: Ex-UK army chef jailed for nearly four years over homemade gun, explosives
A British army chef who was motivated by an extreme right-wing ideology was jailed for nearly four years on Wednesday after he was arrested with a homemade gun and explosives. Mark Broadhurst, 28, was arrested at his barracks in September 2024 after police discovered online messages espousing racist views, his desire to form a militia and his intention to create homemade firearms and sell them to right-wing groups.
National Scot: Hope not Hate warns of far-right violence after MI5 threat report
FAR-RIGHT groups are becoming “more and more confrontational and violent”, a leading campaign group has said. Hope not Hate has accused far-right groups of “organised intimidation” saying that “this should worry us all”.
Reform UK says it has suspended members of the party after an undercover ITV investigation secretly filmed councillors calling Muslims “parasites” and describing Black children as “animals”.
The Telegraph: Labour to end coalitions with anti-Zionist Green councils
Labour has pledged to end power-sharing deals with Green councils which back the “Zionism is racism” motion. The Labour Party has asked all its council groups which share power with Zack Polanski’s organisation to “review” their agreements in light of the controversial motion, and terminate them if their Green partners do not agree to condemn the policy.
British Prime Minister Andy Burnham on Wednesday condemned the Green Party’s “Zionism is racism” motion and ruled out a future partnership with the faction.
Reuters: Sally Rooney's books no longer sold in UK over support for banned pro-Palestinian group
Irish novelist Sally Rooney's books will no longer be sold in Britain over her plans to use her royalties to support Palestine Action, a pro-Palestinian group banned as a terrorist organisation, Rooney and her publisher said on Wednesday.
Russia
Reuters: Russia arrests Swedish man it says planned 'terrorist acts' for Ukraine
Russia's FSB security service said on Thursday it had detained a Swedish man it suspects of planning attacks and sabotage on behalf of Ukraine after entering Russia on the pretext of seeking to join the Russian army.
Afghanistan
UNAMA says Taliban morality police arbitrarily detained or held at least 443 people over the past three months and documented 97 cases of ill-treatment involving women and men.
Afghanistan International: Taliban Foreign Minister, Indian Envoy Discuss Expanding Bilateral Ties
The Taliban Foreign Ministry says Amir Khan Muttaqi met Indian chargé d’affaires Yatin Patel in Kabul to discuss expanding bilateral ties, trade and political, economic and humanitarian cooperation.
Afghanistan International: Russian Intelligence Chief Arrives In Kabul, Meets Taliban Spy Chief
Sergei Naryshkin, head of Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service, arrived in Kabul on Wednesday and met Taliban intelligence chief Abdul Haq Wasiq. Neither side has disclosed the purpose of the visit.
Gaza Strip/West Bank
A Hamas tunnel that crossed into the Israeli-held portion of the Gaza Strip was recently demolished by combat engineers, the military says. The IDF says the tunnel, which featured several rooms where Hamas operatives would reside, spanned a kilometer and a half and crossed the Yellow Line.
Iran
A commander in one of the Basij’s female units was killed in an attack on Wednesday in Mehrestan, a border county in Iran’s Sistan and Baluchestan province, Iranian state media reported. The woman was identified as Afsaneh Aqila.
Iran International: Tehran signals escalation in conflict IRGC likens to a ‘world war’
A senior Revolutionary Guards official has compared Iran’s conflict with the United States to a world war that could reshape the global order, reflecting a mindset in Tehran that appears increasingly resistant to backing down despite the risk of renewed US attacks.
Iran International: Iran says IRGC intelligence arrested suspects over anti-establishment activity
The prosecutor in Kerman, in southeastern Iran, said the Revolutionary Guards’ intelligence arm arrested members of a group accused of setting fire to sites and coordinating anti-establishment activities.
IranWire: CENTCOM Rejects IRGC Navy Commander’s Claim Over Control of Strait of Hormuz
The United States Central Command (CENTCOM) rejected the claim made by Ali Azmaei, commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy, regarding control of the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday, October 13, 2026. In a statement, CENTCOM announced that U.S. forces and regional partners maintain control of this waterway.
Afghanistan International: Tehran May Lease Part Of Chabahar Land To Taliban, Says Iranian MP
Iranian MP Mohammad Mehdi Shahriari says Tehran may make 100 hectares of land at Chabahar port available to Afghanistan for two to five years for imports and transit activities.
Israel
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir on Wednesday warned of a possible security escalation “across all fronts” ahead of the October 27 elections, while calling for settler violence against Palestinians to be “eradicated using every tool available to the State of Israel.”
Yashar, party leader and former IDF chief of staff Gadi Eisenkot, pledged to destroy Hamas's military wing and dismantle its leadership within 18 months of becoming prime minister while giving a briefing at the Gaza border on Thursday.
Naharnet: Netanyahu: We will eradicate Hamas, Hezbollah within next two years
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu threatened Iran on Wednesday, warning: "If Iran attacks us, it will receive a blow it never imagined." "As long as I am Prime Minister, I will not allow Iran to become a nuclear state," he told the Israeli army radio.
Lebanon
AFP: UN says wants Lebanon stability as end of peacekeepers' mandate looms
A visiting senior United Nations official reaffirmed the body's commitment to stability in Lebanon as the mandate of its peacekeeping force in the country is set to expire this year.
Saudi Arabia
Iran International: Saudi-led coalition says cruise missile intercepted over Medina
The Saudi-led coalition said on Thursday it intercepted and destroyed a cruise missile over the Medina region.
United Arab Emirates
JNS: UAE joins international antisemitism forum for first time
A representative of the United Arab Emirates participated for the first time in an international forum on combating antisemitism in Dublin this week, according to the World Jewish Congress (WJC).
Yemen
Iran International: Houthis deny launching attack toward Saudi Arabia
Yemen’s Houthi forces said on Thursday they had not carried out any attack toward Saudi territory that day, rejecting the Saudi-led coalition’s statement that it intercepted a cruise missile over the Medina region.
Reuters: Yemen's Houthis vow more attacks on Saudi airports, oil facilities after Aramco HQ hit
Yemen's Houthis vowed on Wednesday to press on with attacks on airports and oil facilities in Saudi Arabia, a day after a strike that sources said caused extensive damage to the headquarters of oil giant Saudi Aramco.
Pakistan
Express Tribune: Five terrorists killed in Balochistan's Washuk IBO: ISPR
Security forces killed five terrorists belonging to the Indian proxy, Fitna al-Hindustan, during an intelligence-based operation (IBO) in the Washuk district of Balochistan, the military’s media wing said on Thursday.
Nigeria
Reuters: Islamist fighters kill 10 soldiers in attack on northeast Nigeria army base
Suspected Boko Haram fighters killed at least 10 soldiers and wounded at least 20 others in a coordinated assault on an army base in Nigeria's northeastern Borno state this week, military sources and residents said on Thursday.
Technology
Jewish Independent: Traditional antisemitic myths dominate online antisemitism: new study
The number of antisemitic items online was the highest on record over the past three months, with rates continuing to grow incrementally and erratically since the massive spike that followed the October 7 attack.
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