Eye on Extremism: October 19, 2026
Top Stories
President Donald Trump is calling out open border policies as looting and protests leave nearly 1,000 French police officers injured and about 2,400 people arrested. “The migrants have taken over France,” Trump wrote Monday in a Truth Social post. “They must CLOSE THE BORDERS, FAST!”
Jerusalem Post: Watchdog tracks over 1,300 posts blaming Jews, Israel for France riots
A wave of unrest that erupted across France over the weekend was accompanied by antisemitic incitement and conspiracy theories on X/Twitter, accusing Israel, Mossad, and Jews of responsibility for the violence and destruction in the streets, according to a report published Sunday by the Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM).
CEP Mentions
With the US midterm elections fast approaching, the Outlook is increasingly bleak for President Donald Trump and his Republican Party. Are rising inflation and the war with Iran setting the stage for a Republican defeat at the polls? Our guests: Melinda Crane (US analyst); Christoph von Marschall (Tagesspiegel) Hans-Jakob Schindler (Security expert)
Analysis
Lawfare: The Rising Islamic State Threat to Europe and the West
The Islamic State’s North African affiliate is building a logistical corridor from the Sahel to Spain.
Defense One: US withdrawal won’t end the region’s ISIS dilemma
Iraq, Syria, and their regional partners must cooperate to replace what U.S. troops once provided.
United States
CBS News: Father shares antisemitism fears with Vance
The father of two young children who survived the Michigan synagogue attack in March shared concerns about rising antisemitism with Vice President JD Vance at a town hall hosted by CBS News.
JNS: Macklemore’s ‘Free Palestine’ tour funds group that defended Oct. 7 hostage-taking
American rapper Macklemore’s upcoming U.K. tour will benefit a group whose British spokesperson praised Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, hostage-taking as “legitimate” and “effective,” The Jewish Chronicle reported on Friday.
A Los Angeles man accused of plotting a “mass incident” at a Jewish preschool using Molotov cocktails has been nabbed by the FBI, as his mother describes his dramatic downward spiral. Steven Duenas, 51, is accused of making threats against Jews on social media and possessing a combination of parts designed and intended to make a Molotov cocktail, according to federal prosecutors. He was arrested Oct. 2.
Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed compared himself to former President John F. Kennedy during a Saturday "MS NOW Reports" interview with Ali Velshi, likening questions about his family's alleged Muslim Brotherhood ties to scrutiny Kennedy faced over his Catholic faith.
New York Post: NYC teacher posts antisemitic meme of Lionel Messi
Park Slope Collegiate math teacher Maysa Jarara posted an image July 19 on Facebook under the name Maysa, showing a crying, groveling Messi with a super-sized nose, wearing a yarmulke as he rubs his hands together.
Jewish residents of Portland, Ore., have been the targets of 34 of 48 religion-based hate crimes in the city, or 71%, since the fourth quarter of 2023, during which the Oct. 7 attacks occurred, according to Portland Police Bureau data.
Aurora Beacon-News: Aurora’s Hindu community still in ‘shock’ after alleged plot to attack temple
Piyali Majumder, a leader of an Aurora Hindu community group and temple, said she felt “shaken” when she heard Wednesday of an alleged plan to attack a nearby Aurora temple. “I was shocked. I was disheartened,” she said. “I was scared both for my safety and my family’s safety because my daughter goes with me to the temple all the time.”
A thwarted mass shooting targeting a large Hindu temple in suburban Chicago was fueled by years of hateful rhetoric on social media against Hindus and Indians, community leaders say. Authorities on Wednesday arrested Alexandros Paporakis, 19, who they said drove to the Sri Venkateswara Swami (Balaji) Temple in Aurora, Illinois, on Sunday afternoon, armed with a rifle and body armor. Officials said he remained in the parking lot for several minutes, but left after his weapon jammed. Paporakis was arrested later that day near his home in Palatine, Illinois, after a co-worker at a Taco Bell alerted authorities to his plan to “kill Indian people.”
Journal & Topics: Man Charged With Hate Crimes After Allegedly Threatening Muslim Women At Park
A Des Plaines man who reportedly made comments about “white power” after threatening a group of Muslim women in a park has been charged with three felony counts of hate crime and other charges. Matthew R. Kindle, 44, is also facing three misdemeanor counts of aggravated assault and disorderly conduct and one misdemeanor for resisting arrest, according to Des Plaines police reports.
SI Live: Staten Island man charged with hate crime after alleged anti-Muslim threats
A Staten Island man was arrested Wednesday after allegedly making anti-Muslim statements and threatening another man during a confrontation outside a Hylan Boulevard storefront, according to police.
Denver ABC 7: Colorado congressional candidate says he's facing a wave of antisemitic attacks online
Ever since launching his campaign for Congress, Dr. Shimon Blau, an independent running for Colorado's 1st Congressional District, said he has faced a barrage of antisemitic comments online.
In Depth NH: Racist, Antisemitic Vandalism Hits Manchester, Again
Manchester was hit with another act of apparent racism just one month after a previous incident at a Manchester coffee shop. Police responded to the discovery of several vandalism acts, some with racist content Saturday morning. The graffiti appears to have happened overnight and was spread across a large area.
Guardian: Key player in false Talarico rumor has history of online posts invoking Nazi Germany
An influencer who played a key role in hoax claims that Democratic US senate candidate James Talarico was in a mental health facility has a long history of social media posts that favorably invoke Nazi Germany, express antisemitism and anti-Black racism, criticize miscegenation and call for “remigration” of refugees.
Canada
CBC: Toronto 18 ringleader no longer shows signs of extremism, granted full parole: board
One of the ringleaders of the thwarted Toronto 18 terror plot has been granted full parole after the Parole Board of Canada found he no longer showed "any signs of holding onto extremist beliefs or radical ideologies."
Europe
Times of Israel: Bomb threat forces Austrian Tel Aviv-Vienna flight to land in Bulgaria
A bomb threat forced an Austrian Airlines flight carrying 57 people from Tel Aviv to Vienna to divert to the Bulgarian capital, Sofia, late on Sunday, though a search found no danger, the airline said.
Austria
A total of 671 antisemitic incidents were recorded across Austria by the Reporting Centre for Antisemitism of the Jewish Community of Vienna (IKG) during the first six months of 2026.
France
NBC News: Dramatic images show violent unrest sweeping across France
Widespread violence erupted across France over the weekend, as rioters and looters ransacked storefronts, clashed with police and set fire to municipal buildings.
Reuters: France urges curfews in some areas after weekend of riots
France's central government asked some local authorities to impose curfews as it faced pressure over security failings on Monday after a weekend of riots and looting stemming from nationwide anti-government protests.
Deutsche Welle: France: Some 2,400 arrested after looting, arson during protests
Rioters torched public buildings and looted shops across France, destroying Limoges' historic town hall. The violence erupted during nationwide cost-of-living protests.
JNS: Paris synagogue ransacked amid riots
Unidentified individuals vandalized a small synagogue in the 19th arrondissement of Paris on Saturday night, amid widespread rioting by protesters against the government, according to antisemitism activists in France.
The attack on Joseph-Lakanal middle school in the southern town of Aubagne will likely be remembered as the incident that drew public attention to a social phenomenon from the United States, one only just emerging in France: school shootings, in this case inspired by the True Crime Community (TCC), a digital ecosystem made up of individuals fascinated by mass killings – including many teenagers.
Germany
The Iranian Ambassador to Germany was summoned over an attempted attack on Josef Schuster, the President of the Central Council of Jews in Germany and the Chairman of the German-Israeli Society, Volker Beck, the German Foreign Ministry announced on Monday.
Greece
eKathimerini: Elefsina stabbing exposes far-right cells across Attica
Two far-right suspects in a knife attack on an Antifa activist in Elefsina reportedly belonged to an extremist cell, raising concerns about similar groups in Attica. The suspects, aged 18 and 22, ambushed the 32-year-old victim outside his home on October 8, inflicting two deep leg wounds and attempting to stab his chest. Security video captured one shouting “I’m a fascist” and “slaughter him.” They say the knife was the victim’s and they acted in self-defense. Both were remanded in custody.
Romania
Reuters: 13-year-old boy suspected of stabbing teacher and pupil in Romania after TikTok posts
Romanian police said a 13-year-old schoolboy stabbed and wounded a teacher and another pupil on Monday, amid local media reports that he had posted about his plans on social media shortly before the attack. Schools in Europe have faced a string of attacks this year in countries including Poland, France and Sweden, with authorities in some cases pointing to the role of social media and online subcultures that glorify murder in fomenting the violence.
United Kingdom
Telegraph: Mother referred to Prevent for ‘over-identifying with Israel’
When Holly Passmore heard a knock at her front door at about 11am on July 4 last year, she assumed it was an Amazon delivery. Instead, the 44-year-old mother-of-two from County Durham found two plain-clothes police officers on her doorstep wanting to know why she had recently visited Israel.
Telegraph: Former prisoner who defended Hamas employed by BBC
A former prisoner who has accused Israel of “ethnic cleansing” and defended Hamas terrorism is now employed by the BBC to advise on the use of AI in its news output. Algerian-born Hicham Yezza, the principal data scientist at the BBC’s Responsible AI division, was jailed in 2009 for falsely claiming he had leave to remain in the UK. After avoiding deportation at the end of his prison sentence, he set up the pro-Palestinian Ceasefire magazine.
Afghanistan
Afghanistan International: Taliban Builds Second Drone Operations Centre in Badakhshan
Sources say the Taliban has opened a second drone operations centre near the governor’s office in Badakhshan amid rising insecurity and repeated attacks on Taliban facilities in the province.
Afghanistan International: Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister To Visit Afghanistan For Taliban Talks
Russia’s Afghanistan envoy Zamir Kabulov says a senior economic delegation led by Deputy Prime Minister Alexey Overchuk will soon visit Afghanistan for talks with Taliban officials.
Afghanistan International: Taliban Builds Second Drone Operations Centre in Badakhshan
Sources say the Taliban has opened a second drone operations centre near the governor’s office in Badakhshan amid rising insecurity and repeated attacks on Taliban facilities in the province.
8AM Media: Drug Trafficking Fuels Taliban Officials’ Finances as Synthetic Drugs Spread
With the Taliban claiming to be fighting drugs, experts point to continued trafficking, the spread of synthetic drug production, and the role of the trade in financing the group’s senior officials. Iranian officials had earlier expressed concern over a fourfold increase in seizures of synthetic drugs on the Khorasan Razavi border with Afghanistan in the first six months of 2026.
Middle East
The Telegraph: Egypt offers military support to embattled MBS to fend off Houthis
Egypt is expected to offer the embattled Saudi Arabian military defensive support against the Houthis. On Saturday, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, Egypt’s president, asked his parliament to authorise the support for the kingdom and politicians will continue deliberations on the matter on Monday.
US President Donald Trump suggested Friday that Saudi Arabia was accepting help from Israel in its battle against Yemen’s Houthi rebel group. Asked by a reporter on the White House lawn if Riyadh should be open to such assistance, Trump said, “I do, I think they will. Israel’s been very helpful to Saudi Arabia, and yeah they certainly would do that, yeah.”
Adm. Brad Cooper, head of the US military’s Central Command, said in a video statement Saturday that “there are reports” that Tehran’s regional proxies were withholding payments to fighters to “funnel money back” to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Gaza Strip/West Bank
The IDF revealed on Sunday a Hamas document detailing plans to plant explosives in and around camps for displaced civilians in the Gaza Strip, which would then be used as cover in case their leadership needed to evacuate the sites.
Reuters: Israel to resume commercial shipments to Gaza after Hamas fee dispute
Israel said on Monday it would resume allowing commercial goods shipments into Gaza after a days-long halt over a tax dispute involving Hamas and merchants, restoring a key route for food and other essentials to the aid-dependent enclave.
IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir has decided to deploy an additional Border Police company to the Judea and Samaria Division to combat rising settler violence in the West Bank, following a recommendation from IDF Central Command, Walla learned on Monday.
Times of Israel: Police arrest 10 suspects for West Bank settler attacks on journalist, EU diplomats
Israel announced the arrest of several suspected settler extremists on Monday morning, after days of international pressure to take action following weekend attacks on Palestinians, foreign diplomats and a photojournalist in the West Bank.
Times of Israel: EU demands ‘full accountability’ after settler attack on diplomats in West Bank
Condemnation of the Israeli government continued to pour in from abroad on Sunday after a group of visiting European diplomats was attacked by settlers near the West Bank village of Taybeh on Saturday, in an incident that, a day later, has prompted no arrests.
Iran
Iran International: Architect of Guards' missiles becomes Iran's defense minister
Mehrdad Akhlaghi Ketabchi, a sanctioned veteran of Iran's missile industry with ties to the Revolutionary Guards, became defense minister on Sunday, following his predecessor's killing in the war with the United States and Israel.
Iran International: Who are the Baluch militants taking on Iran rulers, and how far can they go?
A wave of deadly attacks on Iranian security forces in the country’s restive southeast has brought renewed attention to a coalition of Baluch militants seeking to broaden their fight against the Islamic Republic, raising questions about how far the insurgency can spread.
Israel
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed on Saturday night there was a lack of “compelling evidence” surrounding a violent settler attack on European diplomats in the West Bank earlier in the day, appearing to suggest the incident was part of a “coordinated smear campaign.”
European Jewish leaders have been working with friendly foreign ministers to block plans by European countries to impose severe sanctions against Israel ahead of the upcoming Israeli elections, European Jewish Congress President and World Jewish Congress Vice-President Ariel Muzicant told The Jerusalem Post.
Lebanon
Naharnet: Hezbollah MPs warn of political 'explosion', slam US interference, 'subservient' state
Hezbollah MPs on Monday condemned American "interference" in Lebanese affairs and slammed the Lebanese authorities for being "subservient", "acquiescent", "irresponsible", and "foreign-dependent".
Naharnet: Aoun chairs security meeting, says no leniency with security violators
President Joseph Aoun stressed during a security meeting in Baabda on Monday the necessity of “strictly enforcing laws, preventing armed appearances, confiscating weapons and ammunition, expediting investigations, and referring violators to the competent judiciary to take the necessary action.”
Naharnet: Gold or Hezbollah arms? What was found in Fanar tunnel?
A small tunnel found Monday in the Northern Metn town of Fanar, near the pre-dominantly Shiite neighborhood of Zoaitriyeh, has sparked fresh controversy in the country amid tensions over Hezbollah and its weapons.
The Lebanese Army deployed in and around Dahieh on Saturday following tensions involving Hezbollah supporters. The developments come amid friction between Lebanese authorities and Hezbollah over a truck carrying around 800 kilograms that was seized at the Dahr al-Baidar checkpoint. Hezbollah has demanded that authorities return the explosives, arguing they were meant for defending against Israel and also asking for the release of two detained operatives.
Turkey
Dual Israeli-Turkish citizen and social media influencer Kloyda Medina Halfon was attacked by a pro-Palestinian mob while shopping in Istanbul's Istinyepark mall on Sunday, according to footage circulating on social media.
Yemen
Reuters: Houthi attack kills 53 at Yemen government training camp, officials say
Fifty-three people were killed and 200 were injured in an attack on Monday by the Iran-aligned Houthis on a government security forces training camp in Yemen's Shabwa province, according to the local authority, as fighting in the impoverished country intensifies.
India
Reuters: Three killed, four injured in violence in eastern Indian border state
At least three people were killed, and four more injured, as more violence broke out between two warring ethnic communities in India’s restive state of Manipur on Monday, senior police officials and government sources said.
Pakistan
Afghanistan International: 20 Police Officers Abducted in Pakistan’s Balochistan
Twenty police officers have been abducted by unidentified gunmen in Pakistan’s Balochistan province, while armed men separately destroyed an empty police post in Qila Abdullah district.
Pakistani forces and Afghan Taliban personnel exchanged fire at several locations along Pakistan’s northwestern border Saturday, with Pakistani security officials and state-run media saying troops backed by artillery destroyed Taliban posts.
Mali
Reuters: Mali forces, Russian backers kill scores of civilians in drone strikes, report says
Mali's armed forces and their Russian backers utilized some "apparent indiscriminate" drone strikes and other abuses as part of an ramped-up offensive against insurgents in recent months that has killed scores of civilians, Human Rights Watch said in a report on Monday.
Mozambique
AIM News: Terrorists increasingly targeting civilians in three Cabo Delgado districts – ACLED
Islamic State Mozambique (ISM) has increasingly targeted civilians in the districts of Mocimboa da Praia, Muidumbe, and Macomia, in the southern Mozambican province of Cabo Delgado over the months of August and September.
Malaysia
The Rakyat Post: Children Aged 12, 14, And 15 Arrested After Roblox Recruitment, Former Top Cop Says
Police have arrested children aged 12, 14 and 15 who were recruited through Roblox, former Deputy Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay said on 18 October. He said recruiters move children into private chat groups, where they are taught to carry out attacks.
THE Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) is examining mechanisms to introduce age restrictions on online gaming platforms like Roblox to safeguard children. Communications Minister Datuk Seri Fahmi Fadzil said the initiative follows warnings from former deputy inspector-general of police Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay regarding extremist groups targeting and recruiting minors as young as 12 through online games.
Australia
Reuters: Terrorism squad probes vehicle attack that critically injured Australian lawmaker
Australian lawmaker Helen Haines was in a critical condition on Monday after being deliberately struck by a car outside her office, with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese saying a terrorism taskforce would be investigating an arrested suspect.
Associated Press: Australian prime minister says lawmaker critically injured by car is ‘no accident’
A car hit an Australian federal independent lawmaker on Monday, critically injuring her in an apparently deliberate attack, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said. The driver was arrested. Helen Haines, 65, was struck by a Toyota Land Cruiser SUV outside her electoral district office midafternoon in the city of Wangaratta in Victoria state, police said.
The Australian: Antisemitism commission seeks final reply from Palestine activists
The antisemitism royal commission’s procedural fairness process is underway, with lawyers asking stakeholders — including the Palestine Action Group — to respond to potentially adverse findings against them.
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