Eye on Extremism: September 12, 2025

CEP Mentions

World Israel News: Should the world be shocked over Israel’s attack on Qatari soil?

According to the Counter Extremism Project, the Muslim Brotherhood “has had a profound influence on the belief system that fuels al-Qaeda and ISIS. These groups share ideological underpinnings based on the writings of the late Brotherhood ideologue Sayyid Qutb.”

Analysis

GNET: Islamic State’s Gory Propaganda: Cross-Platform Proliferation and Youth Radicalisation

Recent studies show that the Islamic State’s online presence remains dominant through gore videos. Therefore, this Insight will examine how the terrorist group still significantly leverages gore sites, which promise to showcase ‘real life’ violence, for propaganda. With no restrictions on accessing and downloading content on most gore sites, plenty of violent extremist material is largely consumed by minors and is recirculated on popular social media platforms.

Jamestown: A Briefer on Islamic State’s Activities Throughout Africa

In the first half of 2025, Islamic State’s five African provinces conducted 565 attacks across nine countries, with a sharp rise tied to the launch of its “Burning Camps” campaign targeting military bases and camps at night. Islamic State (IS) also appears to be working to entrench itself across the continent through community outreach efforts, increasingly acting as a parallel authority in parts of Africa where state presence is weak or absent.

United States

Associated Press: Radicalized 16-year-old Colorado school student fired revolver and wounded 2 teens, authorities say

A 16-year-old boy who had been radicalized by an unspecified “extremist network” fired a revolver multiple times during an attack at a suburban Denver high school that wounded two students, authorities said Thursday.

Reuters: Right-wing anger surges as Kirk’s killing fuels calls for vengeance

On his War Room podcast, far-right commentator Steve Bannon called Kirk “the America First martyr,” claiming Kirk had been under constant threat from “evil people” on the left. “We cannot back off. We cannot flinch,” Bannon said. Some chapters of the Proud Boys, the far-right organization that played a leading role in the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, refrained from calls to arms but posted accusations on the Telegram messaging app that left-wing activists were mocking Kirk’s death. The Tennessee chapter of the Proud Boys shared a video montage of people laughing at Kirk’s death compiled from social media sites.

WIRED: Right-Wing Activists Are Targeting People for Allegedly Celebrating Charlie Kirk’s Death

Far-right influencers and violent extremists are posting identifying details about people they view as celebrating or glorifying the murder of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk. The campaign has been swift and widespread and has already led to at least one person losing their job and others receiving death threats.

Reuters: Qatar bombing tests the limits of the Trump-Netanyahu alliance

Less than four months ago, President Donald Trump met with the leader of Qatar, praising his opulent palace and signing a sweeping defense agreement with the Gulf monarchy, a key ally that hosts the biggest U.S. base in the Middle East. Israel's surprise attack on Tuesday against Hamas leaders in Doha has jolted that relationship, angering Trump and drawing fierce condemnation from Doha and Western allies. But for all the indignation, the strikes are unlikely to change the president's fundamental approach toward Israel, analysts and U.S. officials say. If anything, the bombings underlined the cold calculus beneath the Trump-Netanyahu relationship.

Reuters: Trump to meet Qatari prime minister after Israeli attack in Doha

President Donald Trump planned to meet the Qatari prime minister in New York on Friday, a White House official said, days after U.S. ally Israel attacked Hamas leaders in Doha. The official did not elaborate on the timing of the meeting with Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani or its agenda.

Associated Press: Historically Black colleges issue lockdown orders and cancel classes after receiving threats

A series of reported threats toward historically Black colleges and universities across the U.S. on Thursday led to lockdown orders, canceled classes and heightened security. Authorities did not elaborate on the type of threats that were made and no injuries have been reported. The FBI told The Associated Press that they are taking the “hoax threat calls“ seriously and that there is “no information to indicate a credible threat.”

Kurdistan24: Syrian Minority Representatives in the U.S. Reject Damascus Policies, Call for Decentralization and Federalism

Representatives of Syria’s diverse components—including Kurds, Alawites, Druze, and Christians—have declared their dissatisfaction with the current policies of the Damascus government, stressing that the system remains undemocratic and repressive.

Times of Israel: IDF says it nabbed suspected terror cells working for Iran’s IRGC in Syria

Up North News: White nationalist ‘Active Clubs’ growing in WI

Experts said they are seeing a rise in white nationalist movements in Wisconsin and across the country that are disguising themselves as fitness groups. They are called “Active Clubs” and present themselves as sporting clubs or fighting clubs focused on brotherhood.

Fox KTVU: UC Berkeley turns over 160 names in federal antisemitism investigation

UC Berkeley has turned over the names of about 160 students and employees to the US Department of Education, Office of Civil Rights, to comply with the federal investigation into reports of alleged antisemitism, according to the student newspaper, the Daily Californian.

KQED: Controversial California Bill to Combat Antisemitism in Schools Races Against Legislative Clock

Amid growing action nationwide to combat antisemitism in places of education, a bill that seeks to address the issue in California’s TK–12 schools is swiftly working through the state Legislature. AB 715 would establish an Office of Civil Rights, which would become home to a new antisemitism prevention coordinator position. The governor would appoint the coordinator and have a broad remit to both administer antisemitism education to teachers and school administrators, as well as track and report on incidents.

The Guardian: The chilling effect of Title VI investigations: the professors accused of antisemitism

When Andrea Brower was hired two years ago as the lead instructor for Gonzaga University’s solidarity and social justice program, she thought she had landed a dream job. Brower was tasked with “mentoring students in their social justice pursuits” at the private, liberal arts university in eastern Washington state. The school’s Jesuit mission highlighted a commitment to diversity, global engagement and “solidarity with the poor and vulnerable” – a perfect fit for Brower, who had come to academia by way of grassroots, environmental activism in her native Hawaii.

Jewish Insider: New York police chiefs visit Israel for counterterrorism, antisemitism training

A delegation of 13 senior police officials from the New York area returned to the U.S. on Friday fresh off an intensive week in Israel designed to increase their counterterrorism training and understanding of antisemitism.

Canada

CBC: Hamilton police warned about officer's support of white nationalists 8 months before they suspended him

One month after Hamilton police suspended an officer while the service investigates his public support for white nationalist groups, an anti-racism organization says it warned police eight months ago about the officer. In August, Hamilton Police Service (HPS) said they suspended Const. Renato Greco while they investigated what they said were "disturbing" social media posts.

Brazil

New York Times: Bolsonaro Sentenced to 27 Years in Prison for Plotting Coup in Brazil

Brazil’s Supreme Court on Thursday convicted former President Jair Bolsonaro of overseeing a failed conspiracy to overturn the 2022 Brazilian election in a coup plot that included disbanding courts, empowering the military and assassinating the president-elect. Four of the five justices weighing the case voted to convict Mr. Bolsonaro and seven co-conspirators, including his running mate, defense minister and Navy commander, in a forceful rebuke by one of the very institutions the men sought to overthrow.

Belgium

Juedische Allgemeine: Antisemtism: German Embassy ends partnership with Ghent Festival

The Jüdische Allgemeine has learned that the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Brussels has ended its cooperation with the Flanders Music Festival in Ghent following the scandal surrounding the disinvitation of Lahav Shani. A spokeswoman for the German diplomatic mission confirmed this on request. The reason for the termination of the partnership was the cancellation of a concert by the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra scheduled for 18 September by the organizers. The organizers had unexpectedly sent out a press release on Wednesday stating that the conductor of the Munich orchestra, the Israeli Shani, was still acting as music director of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra.

Germany

Reuters: German prosecutors take over probe into suspected Islamist stabbing that left 2 injured

German federal prosecutors said on Friday that they had taken over an investigation into a suspected Islamist attempt to murder two people in the city of Essen last week. The suspect, a Kosovar national named only as Erjon S to protect his privacy, is accused of attempting to kill a teacher he was acquainted with in a vocational college on Sept 5 before stabbing a bystander on the street in the back.

FOCUS: Knife attack on teacher: evidence of Islamist attack

After the knife attack on a teacher at the Bildungspark vocational college, the alleged knife attacker from Essen, Erjon S., glorified his crime in a video with Islamist hate speech. FOCUS online learned from security sources that his victim had insulted the Prophet, which is why the student claims to have stabbed him. The 17-year-old repeatedly chanted "Allahu Akbar" in the clip, probably even during his knife attack. The Federal Public Prosecutor General is now examining whether to take over the case due to a possible religiously motivated motive. The youth was a blank slate for the state security services. After his arrest, clips of violent scenes were found on his cell phone and a tablet.

ARD: Federal Intelligence Service - Where is the new president steering the BND?

With more than 6,500 employees and an annual budget of more than one billion euros, the service is tasked with informing the German government about foreign countries - especially about the dangers and challenges that threaten Germany. What exactly the BND should gather information on, in which countries and on which topics, is not decided by the service itself, but by the government. This secret wish list is known as the "Federal Government's Mission Profile", or APB for short, and for many years, international terrorism, the threat posed by hackers or irregular migration have not been at the top of the list. Top priority is given to information for national and alliance defense. The BND is not only the German foreign intelligence service, it is also the military intelligence service. And in this role, the service will be increasingly challenged by the Russian threat.

Italy

Jerusalem Post: Venetian mayor condemns antisemitic attack on Jewish tourists

The mayor of Venice has condemned an alleged attack on American Orthodox Jews who said they were targeted by a group that shouted “free Palestine” and then proceeded to slap them. The American couple, who were reportedly wearing traditional Orthodox clothing, were walking through Venice on Sunday night when the incident took place, according to Italian news agency AGI. Three of the assailants, who were believed to be of North African origin, were apprehended, with two receiving expulsion orders and a third being deported, according to AGI.

United Kingdom

Counter Terrorism Policing: Family Jailed for Disseminating Terrorist Material and Racial Hatred through Neo-Nazi Music

Three members of the same family have today (September 11) been jailed for more than seven years after being found guilty of racial hatred and terrorism offences by creating, performing and distributing neo-Nazi music. Robert Talland, 59, his son Stephen, 36, and daughter Rosie, 33, all from Essex, were found guilty in June of multiple charges of stirring up racial hatred following a nine-week trial at Woolwich Crown Court. Robert was also found guilty of two offences of disseminating terrorist material.

Afghanistan

Reuters: Taliban clampdown on women forces UN to close aid centres for Afghan returnees

The U.N. refugee agency (UNHCR) has closed eight centres providing support to Afghan refugees forced back to the country because Taliban authorities are preventing female U.N. staff from entering them, an official said on Friday. The United Nations says Pakistan is driving Afghan refugees back home against their will, warning that around 1 million people could be affected. In the first week of September alone, nearly 100,000 people crossed back, UNHCR data showed.

Afghanistan International: Taliban Spy Chief Alleges Foreign Powers Deploying ISIS Fighters In Afghanistan

The Taliban’s intelligence chief said Thursday that some countries were dispatching ISIS fighters to Afghanistan to destabilise the country. He warned that the international community would pay a “heavy price” if it ignored the threat. Abdul Haq Wasiq, head of the Taliban’s intelligence agency, told Al Jazeera that ISIS no longer had a real base in Afghanistan and controlled no territory. He said recent attacks carried out inside the country or in the region had been planned from abroad.

Gaza Strip

Reuters: Israel intensifies Gaza City strikes as many residents refuse evacuation

Israeli strikes killed at least 40 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip on Friday, local health authorities said, most of them in Gaza City where many residents are staying put despite Israeli evacuation orders because they have nowhere safe to go. Israel has stated its intention to take full control of the ruined city, where about a million people are sheltering, as part of its plan to wipe out the militant group Hamas, and has been intensifying its attacks, residents said.

Israel

Jerusalem Post: Two wounded in terror attack at hotel in Kibbutz Tzuba, attacker arrested by off-duty officer

Two people were wounded in a terror stabbing attack at a hotel in Kibbutz Tzuba near Jerusalem, Israel Police said on Friday. A 50-year-old was critically injured in the attack, while the other, a 23-year-old, was moderately injured. Magen David Adom (MDA) personnel administered first aid at the scene before evacuating the two to Hadassah-University Medical Center in Ein Karem. The attacker, an Arab resident of the Shuafat refugee camp in east Jerusalem, is an outside contractor who was hired as a dishwasher.

Times of Israel: IDF says it nabbed suspected terror cells working for Iran’s IRGC in Syria

Several suspects detained by Israeli troops in southern Syria in recent months were in terror cells and operating on behalf of Iran’s Unit 840, a clandestine unit within the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ elite Quds Force, the IDF said Friday. The members of the terror cells who were nabbed in the series of recent raids had been directed by Unit 840 to carry out attacks against Israel, according to the IDF. In March and April, two Unit 840 field operatives, identified as Zeidan al-Tawil and Muhammad al-Kuryan, were arrested in Syria, the IDF said.

Times of Israel: Jerusalem terror attack exposes fresh holes in reliance on West Bank security barrier

When two Palestinian gunmen approached Jerusalem’s Ramot junction and opened fire on people and buses on Monday morning, killing six people and wounding several more, they became the latest in a long series of terrorists who have managed to exploit weaknesses in Israel’s West Bank security barrier to deadly effect. The pair, who set out from West Bank towns just a few kilometers away, got to the busy intersection in northern Jerusalem armed with a Carlo rifle and a pistol, weapons they would have likely been unable to smuggle in had they entered Jerusalem via an army checkpoint.

Reuters: Hamas says Israel's Doha strike against leaders sought to derail ceasefire efforts

An Israeli attack that targeted Hamas leaders in Qatar this week was an attempt to derail the ceasefire negotiations but would not change the Palestinian group's terms for ending the war in Gaza, a Hamas official said on Thursday. Israel attempted to kill the political leaders of Hamas with an airstrike on Doha on Tuesday, in what U.S. officials described as a unilateral escalation that did not serve American or Israeli interests.

Associated Press: Qatar’s premier accuses Israel of not caring about hostages but vows to keep pressing for peace

Qatar’s prime minister accused Israel of ignoring the hostages in the Gaza Strip when it attacked Hamas leaders in Doha, but he vowed Thursday not to abandon efforts to end the nearly two-year war. Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani told an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council that Israel went “beyond any borders, any limitations” with the strike in Qatar’s capital this week, violating his country’s sovereignty and threatening regional peace.

Iran International: Israel says suspected Iranian hackers targeted actors in phishing attack

Dozens of Israeli actors were targeted in a phishing attack believed to have originated from Iran, Israel's National Cyber Directorate said on Friday. The Directorate said attackers hacked into an email account and posed as organizers of auditions for a new film by a well-known director. The emails asked for audition videos and personal details, including scans of ID cards, passports and home addresses.

Lebanon

Naharnet: Report: US-French-Saudi plan gives Lebanon 16-month grace period

A U.S.-French-Saudi plan presented by French envoy Jean-Yves Le Drian to Lebanese officials calls for supporting the army and extending the grace period given to Lebanon to 16 months that end with the termination of UNIFIL’s mission in Lebanon, the PSP’s al-Anbaa news portal reported on Friday. “This means that the government’s welcoming of the Lebanese Army’s plan in the Sep. 5 session was not a retreat nor a compromise, but rather confirmation of the decisions of the Aug. 5 and 7 sessions with international support and embracement and a more diplomatic language,” al-Anbaa added.

Naharnet: Disarmament begins Saturday at Ain al-Hilweh and al-Beddawi camps

The handover of Palestinian weapons at the Ain al-Hilweh and al-Beddawi refugee camps will begin Saturday and continue for three days, the Lebanese-Palestinian Dialogue Committee announced on Friday. “Dialogue with Hamas is ongoing for the handover of its weapons,” Committee sources told Al-Arabiya’s Al-Hadath channel, adding that they expect the file to be finalized at the end of the month.

Naharnet: Senior politician says Hezbollah 'only asking for two guarantees'

A senior political source has told MTV that “Hezbollah is in depth only asking for two guarantees to endorse the arms monopoly plan, which are halting the Israeli aggression and the start of Israel's withdrawal.”

Naharnet: US announces Lebanese Army aid for disposing of Hezbollah arms caches

The U.S. Department of War has approved a Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA) package for Lebanon with an estimated value of $14.2 million. “The PDA package will build the capability and capacity of the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) to dismantle weapons caches and military infrastructure of non-state groups, including Hezbollah,” the Department said in a statement.

Naharnet: Aoun says Israel preventing army from implementing disarmament plan

President Joseph Aoun said Thursday, after a meeting with French envoy Jean-Yves Le Drian, that the Israeli violations of the ceasefire deal are preventing the army from completing its deployment in south Lebanon, urging France and the U.S. to put more pressure on Israel.

Syria

Reuters: How Syrian forces emptied Alawite suburb: X means stay, O means go

Syrian security forces stormed the rundown Damascus suburb in late August, toting guns, swords and eviction orders. In their wake, they left the district's homes spray-painted with big black "X"s and "O"s: marking who could stay and who must go. The raids targeted al-Somaria, home to the families of thousands of former soldiers in the army of Bashar al-Assad, whose toppling by rebels nine months ago unleashed a wave of violence against the minority Alawite group to which he belongs.