Eye on Extremism: September 22, 2026
Top Stories
The German federal prosecutor’s office recently announced that it indicted seven people for allegedly securing weapons for the Hamas terrorist organization, with the goal of launching terrorist attacks on the second remembrance date of the Oct. 7 massacre in Israel. The indictment has catapulted the danger of Hamas’ network in Europe to Israeli, American and European installations and citizens into the spotlight.
Germany's Die Linke (Left Party), which won Berlin city-state elections on Sunday, has rejected accusations of antisemitism despite a history of anti-Jewish incidents and comments. Left Party won 25.7% of the vote, defeating the CDU and the SPD by significant margins. The win has sparked concerns from both Jewish groups and other political parties, with national SDP co-leader Baerbal Bas saying it would be “very difficult” to work with a party “large parts of which act in an antisemitic way.”
CEP Mentions
“The Revolutionary Guard deliberately sabotaged the framework agreement with the US by firing on merchant ships in the Strait of Hormuz – even in Omani waters, when negotiators were trying to finalize an agreement with Oman,” Hans-Jakob Schindler, head of the Berlin-based think tank Counter Extremism Project, told our editorial team.
Analysis
AFP: Despite wealth and advanced weapons, Saudis fumbling in fight against Houthis
Saudi Arabia has deep pockets and cutting-edge weapons, yet for more than a decade it has been unable to quash Yemen’s battle-hardened Houthis. The Iran-backed group has now attacked Riyadh with a missile strike, seized Yemen’s entire Red Sea coast and is blockading Saudi oil exports, seemingly unimpeded.
Gaming environments have become some of the most significant social spaces in contemporary online life. Multiplayer games, livestreaming services, forums, and gaming-adjacent spaces – services and platforms such as Discord that are used to socialise around games – provide environments where friendships form, social status is negotiated, and communities develop shared cultures and norms.
Small Wars Journal: No Ideology Required: Drones and the New Domestic Extremist Threat
Three domestic terrorism plots. Three ideologies. One weapon. Since late 2024, plots planning to attack a Pride parade, Nashville’s power grid, and the UFC Freedom 250 event at the White House have shared nothing except their weapon of choice. Domestic violent extremists across the ideological spectrum are adopting drones as a weapon for their plots, a tactic pioneered by foreign terrorist organizations. This highlights a growing trend with serious implications for the future of U.S. counterextremism policy.
Al-Arabiya: Man behind al-Qaeda’s media arm al-Sahab: Abu Abd al-Rahman al-Maghribi
The recent 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks prompted Western research centers to reassess al-Qaeda and the broader terrorist movement. Some argue that the organization’s ability to carry out international attacks has diminished, while others caution that the loss of its centralized structure does not necessarily make its more diffuse form any less dangerous.
United States
The U.S. military on Saturday carried out a lethal strike on a vessel in the Caribbean that it said was involved in drug trafficking, killing four alleged "narco-terrorists," according to U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM).
New York Times: A Sikh Truck Driver Was Stabbed at a Rest Stop. Others Feel Targeted Too.
For years, Gurvinder Singh has hauled energy drinks, snacks and other items from California to supermarkets and big-box stores across the country, one of more than 100,000 Sikhs earning a living in the trucking business.
New York Times: Man Found Guilty of Shooting 3 Palestinian Students in Vermont
The man charged with shooting three young men of Palestinian descent in 2023 in Burlington, Vt., was found guilty of three counts of attempted second-degree murder on Monday.
Fox News: Hasan Piker calls Bin Laden a ‘spoiled brat,’ labels 9/11 ‘blowback’ in Axios interview
Hasan Piker, the internet streamer and YouTube personality known for his progressive commentary, called Osama bin Laden a “spoiled brat” for his reasoning in orchestrating the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, which he called “blowback” for U.S. actions in the Middle East in the preceding years.
Attorney General Dana Nessel on Monday announced charges against two Michigan residents accused of making terrorist threats against public officials in unrelated incidents, including the mayor of Dearborn, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson and members of the Michigan Supreme Court.
PennLive: York officials respond after racist flyer circulates on social media
A white supremacist flyer that went viral on social media has prompted a response from York officials. The flyer was found on poles in the York area and posted to Facebook. It was posted as a response to a brawl near York College’s campus on Sept. 12.
Nazi salutes. A swastika flag. Fights in the stands. They were all part of the scene at a recent combat sports event in Orlando that pitted an Israeli Jew against an avowed racist with SS bolts tattooed on his chest – and ended with the latter mocking his defeated foe as “a short little f***king Jew prick.”
JNS: Chicago mayor accused of ‘singling out’ Jews, AIPAC at campaign launch
Chicago’s largest Jewish organization accused city Mayor Brandon Johnson of “singling out” Jews after he mentioned a Jewish donor and AIPAC when launching his reelection campaign.
In a Sept. 17 letter addressed to the mayor, Jewish United Fund of Chicago president Lonnie Nasatir and board chair Carey Cooper wrote that Johnson used his launch on Sunday “to target a local Jewish business and philanthropic leader and a national advocacy organization with no role in local politics.”
JNS: Woman who shouted at Jews outside Boston Kollel arrested for slapping cop
A Massachusetts woman was arrested after she slapped a police officer who tried to de-escalate her antisemitic rant outside the Kollel of Greater Boston in Brighton on Thursday night.
Washington Post: How anti-Muslim rhetoric is influencing the pivotal Michigan Senate race
To some of the roughly 240,000 Muslims in Michigan, the campaign against El-Sayed has landed in ways that feel familiar but nonetheless upsetting. It has also contributed to a heated race in an election cycle that has seen Republicans across the country evoke stereotypes about Muslims or openly embrace Islamophobia.
The city of Dearborn responded Saturday to a lawsuit accusing it of celebrating Muslim holidays and ignoring religious holidays of other faiths by blaming attacks against it on its diversity and “welcoming nature.”
Canada
A police officer and a man were wounded in an exchange of gunfire Sunday near a synagogue in Ontario as members of the Jewish community marked Yom Kippur, authorities said. Police identified the suspect as Sean Ward, 29, from Quincy West. He was hospitalized in life-threatening condition.
JTA: Canadian leaders condemn shooting outside Ontario synagogue at the start of Yom Kippur
Canadian leaders have condemned a shooting outside the Sons of Jacob synagogue in Belleville, Ontario, at the start of Yom Kippur that left a police officer seriously injured and forced the congregation to cancel services on the holiest day of the year.
The president of the Belleville, Ont., synagogue where shooting erupted between a man and local police Sunday evening says the incident left congregants in shock and the building partly damaged. "But once we get the building back, we will continue with our services. We will continue with our programming," Norm Weddum says.
JNS: Canada: Man arrested on suspicion of threatening to commit shooting attack on synagogue
Canadian authorities arrested on Sept. 19 a man who allegedly posted threats on an online message board to carry out a shooting at a synagogue in Durham Region, the Durham Regional Police Service (DRPS) said in a statement on Monday.
JNS: Jewish groups condemn mezuzot destruction at Canadian university
Jewish groups are condemning the destruction of mezuzot at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario, during Rosh Hashanah, calling for a thorough investigation and stronger protections for Jewish students and religious property on campus.
Argentina
AFP: Argentine judge charges 7 Iranians, 1 Lebanese over 1994 AMIA Jewish center bombing
An Argentine judge on Monday formally charged seven Iranians and a Lebanese citizen over their alleged involvement in the 1994 bombing of the AMIA Jewish community center in Buenos Aires.
Belgium
The anti-migration demonstration organized on Saturday in the Hague by ‘We are the people,’ an obscure organisation without known leadership, deteriorated quickly to violent clashes with police and was widely condemned by the Dutch authorities and media.
Germany
CNN: Chancellor Merz calls Germany state elections results a ‘disaster,’ as far-right surges again
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party is facing a dire set of results in state elections, exit polls show, and is set to be squeezed both by the surging far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) and parties on the left.
New York Times: German Leaders Prepare to Deny Far Right Access to Secret War Plan
Spooked by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the German military drafted a 1,000-page blueprint in 2024 to set out how to respond to another Russian attack in Eastern Europe. Senior leaders in Germany’s 16 states are among the few government officials allowed access to the classified document, known informally as an “Oplan.”
The Telegraph: ‘Berlin’s Mamdani’ hosted Hamas supporter at election party
The hard-Left leader pushing to become the mayor of Berlin has become engulfed in an anti-Semitism row, which could block her path to power. Elif Eralp’s Die Linke (The Left) party, which traces its roots to the former East German communist party, won with 25 per cent of the vote on Sunday, putting it in pole position to form a coalition.
JNS: Israeli envoy: Berlin’s Jews face ‘danger’ after far-left win
Israeli Ambassador to Germany Ron Prosor warned on Tuesday of an “immediate threat to the existence” of the Jewish community in Berlin following a far-left party’s election victory in Berlin a regional election that underlined growing polarization in German society.
JNS: Arson suspect detained after German synagogue targeted
A 37-year-old Afghan man was arrested on suspicion of setting fire on Thursday afternoon to the Bergische Synagogue in Wuppertal, western Germany, three days before Yom Kippur.
Netherlands
NL Times: Dutch intelligence service warns far-right extremists are normalizing their ideas
Right-wing extremists are trying to make their ideas more acceptable to a wider audience by presenting a “softer version” of their views, according to warnings from the General Intelligence and Security Service (AIVD) and the National Coordinator for Security and Counterterrorism (NCTV). In a joint analysis, the security services say some extremists are also trying to influence political parties from within.
Poland
Reuters: Polish neo-Nazi accused of planning mosque and school attacks
Polish authorities said on Tuesday that they have charged a man linked to neo-Nazi groups with offences including preparing attacks on a school and a mosque. Prosecutors said that Pawel G., a Polish national born in 2009 whose surname cannot be published due to privacy laws, was detained on Friday.
United Kingdom
The Telegraph: Muslim police group ‘undermining impartiality’ with pro-Palestine views
A Muslim police association has been accused of undermining the service’s impartiality by espousing pro-Palestine views. The National Association of Muslim Police (NAMP) published papers defending Hamas, described terms such as “Islamist” as Islamophobic and platformed Muslim leaders with questionable views, according to the Right-of-centre think tank Policy Exchange.
The Telegraph: Rayner’s office investigates deleted Islamophobia definition evidence
A top civil servant has ordered a review of his department’s decision to destroy evidence submitted to devise a new Islamophobia definition. Will Garton, the interim permanent secretary at Angela Rayner’s Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, said he had asked officials to “undertake further work” related to the decision to delete all submissions to its working group.
BBC: Man who shared beheading videos jailed
A man who shared videos of prisoners being beheaded has been jailed for eight years. Mohammed Malik, 24 and from Burnt Oak Terrace, Gillingham, Kent, shared the footage across a number of social media platforms.
Afghanistan
Following Pakistani airstrikes on Kunar and Paktika, Taliban official Hayatullah Muhajir Farahi warned that the group would respond. He said the Taliban would not remain silent in the face of “aggression” against Afghanistan.
Afghanistan International: Taliban Vows ‘Appropriate Response’ To Pakistani Airstrikes
Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid has condemned Pakistan’s attacks on Kunar and Paktika provinces as crimes and aggression. Writing on X on Monday, 21 September, he said the attacks would receive an appropriate response.
Afghanistan International: Senior National Resistance Front Commander Enters Afghanistan
Saleh Mohammad Registani, a senior commander of the National Resistance Front, says he has returned to Afghanistan to continue the fight against the Taliban.
Amu TV: Taliban ministry closes Shiite religious, cultural center in western Kabul
The Taliban’s Justice Ministry, headed by Abdul Hakim Sharaee, has closed the Khatam al-Anbia religious school and scientific-cultural complex in western Kabul and detained four people, residents told Amu TV.
Gaza Strip/West Bank
Times of Israel: Qatar says its aid did not fund Hamas, and if it did, ‘Israel is responsible’
Qatar has firmly rejected allegations in a New Yorker article that its monthly cash payments to Gaza helped fund Hamas’s military wing prior to the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, onslaught, saying on Monday that Israel was to blame if any of the money reached the terror group.
Israel and Hamas had been nearing an agreement in talks that he was mediating before Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attacks, former Palestinian Authority minister Sufian Abu Zaida said on Monday.
Jerusalem Post: IDF arrests two terrorists planning imminent attack in West Bank operation
IDF troops carried out counterterrorism operations at several locations across the West Bank during Yom Kippur, including in Kabatiya, where troops from the Duvdevan Unit arrested two terrorists who were planning to carry out an attack in the near future.
Iraq
EuroNews: Trial of six French Islamic State suspects opens in Baghdad
The trial of six French nationals suspected of belonging to the “Islamic State” (IS) group opened in Baghdad on Sunday morning, with the next hearing scheduled for 5 October.
Just over 12 years ago, Kamaldin Teshebaev and his wife had a large family of three sons, three daughters-in-law, and 16 grandchildren. They lived a stable, working-class life in the small town of Kyzyl-Kiya in southwestern Kyrgyzstan.
Israel
Opposition leaders lambasted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday after a report revealed new details about the extent to which Israeli intelligence believed Qatari money was funding Hamas’s military wing prior to the October 7, 2023, onslaught, including an assessment that it accounted for as much as half of the wing’s entire budget.
Jerusalem Post: Negev teen charged over 45 TikTok reposts praising Hamas, October 7 massacre
Southern District prosecutors charged a 19-year-old Segev Shalom resident on Tuesday with dozens of terrorism-related speech offenses over 45 TikTok reposts that allegedly praised Hamas, glorified attackers and included one direct call to commit a terrorist act.
Lebanon
Naharnet: Salam meets leaders on UN sidelines, says 'no state with two armies'
Prime Minister Nawaf Salam has met on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly in New York with U.N. chief António Guterres, King Abdullah II of Jordan, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Iraqi PM Ali Faleh Al-Zaidi, Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani, and U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen.Salam meets leaders on UN sidelines, says 'no state with two armies'
Qatar
Jerusalem Post: Qatar attempting to distance itself from Hamas, looking to West, expert tells ‘Post’
Doha is attempting to publicly distance itself from Hamas, denying that it knowingly funded the group, as attacks on its oil infrastructure have pushed Qatar to pursue financial relationships with Western groups that are less willing to engage with a country associated with the Palestinian terrorist organization, Dr. Ariel Admoni, a researcher of Qatari policy at Ariel University and the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security (JISS), told The Jerusalem Post on Tuesday.
United Arab Emirates
Gulf News: UAE calls for inclusive approach to combat extremism and hate speech
UAE Minister of State Khalifa Shaheen Al Marar has called for an inclusive approach to combating extremism and hate speech, stressing the importance of tolerance and peaceful coexistence.
Yemen
Reuters: More Yemenis expected to flee from upsurge in fighting, UN says
Tens of thousands more people could be driven from homes in Yemen by an upsurge of fighting that has already displaced more than 130,000 people this month, the UN refugee agency said on Tuesday.
Pakistan
New York Times: Group With Al Qaeda Links Claims Responsibility for Attack in Pakistan
An alliance led by powerful militant leader Hafiz Gul Bahadur, whose fighters once targeted U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan, has claimed responsibility for a deadly mosque assault inside a police compound in northwest Pakistan.
Reuters: Pakistan says it killed 28 militants, Afghan Taliban and UN report three civilian deaths
Pakistan's government said on Monday that it launched airstrikes in the Afghanistan-Pakistan border region, killing at least 28 militants, with one security official saying two Afghan provinces were targeted.
Mali
Jihadists killed more than 100 soldiers in central Mali this month, two sources said, while the army said it had evacuated troops from the camp under attack and struck enemy positions during a retaliatory operation lasting more than a week.
Sri Lanka
A Sri Lankan court convicted 15 men on Tuesday over their involvement in the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings, which killed more than 260 people and wounded about 500.
Australia
JNS: Australia’s intelligence chief: Antisemitism has risen to ‘disturbing level’
Australia’s spy chief, Mike Burgess, said on Thursday he doesn’t rule out the threat posed by the Iranian regime to prominent Jewish figures Down Under. The remark was made during a talk on broadcaster Neil Mitchell’s podcast, “Mitchell Unlimited.”
Sydney Morning Herald: Teen allegedly planned attack at three Queensland public places
A 14-year-old Queenslander allegedly possessed large amounts of violent extremist material and had planned attacks on three public places, in what counter-terrorism police describe as an extraordinarily concerning case.
Singapore
A group of teenagers in Indonesia watched school shootings online, sought out images of graphic violence and followed notorious mass killers on the internet. Then, some began planning attacks of their own.
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