Eye on Extremism: September 28, 2026
Top Stories
Police were holding five men on Monday and examining suspected explosives found near a U.S.-operated air force base in England, as counterterror detectives investigated whether the arrests foiled an attempted attack linked to Iran.
Jewish community leaders in the United States, Canada and Europe describe an increasingly “toxic” atmosphere amid events in Israel and rising antisemitism, with some expressing fears of a mass-casualty attack against Jews. The picture emerges from conversations with rabbis, a senior Israeli official who assists communities with intelligence, a Jewish Agency official and an Israeli diplomat in a European capital.
CEP Mentions
i24 Israel: Hamas influence in the West Bank: Emmanuel Macron between denial and ignorance
Hans-Jakob Schindler, Senior Director of the Counter Extremism Project, comments on the rise of antisemitism from right-wing and left-wing extremism in Germany.
ZDFheute Journal: September 25, 2026
Hans-Jakob Schindler, Senior Director of the Counter Extremism Project, comments on the Houthis in Yemen and support by Iran.
United Nations
The UN special rapporteur for the Palestinians, Francesca Albanese, apologizes for claiming that the Nazis called their death camp victims “Muslims” and that antisemitism is not only about hatred of Jews. Albanese said last week in an interview that antisemitism “is not just discrimination against Jews. It’s discrimination against Semitic peoples,” and claimed that, when the term was coined in the late 19th century, it referred to all non-Europeans.
The UN will hold an event in New York on Monday marking 25 years since the 2001 Durban Conference in South Africa, which drew sharp criticism from Israel and the US over antisemitic rhetoric and attacks against Israel heard during the gathering.
United States
The Times: Ex-DSA member calls group dangerous: ‘We can’t let extremists get power’
Two days after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, the Democratic Socialists of America issued a stinging verdict on their website: the United States and its allies — rather than Vladimir Putin — were to blame. The “DSA reaffirms our call for the US to withdraw from Nato and end the imperialist expansionism that set the stage for this conflict,” it said in a statement. That was the final nail in the coffin for Jake Altman, a trade union organiser who had growing doubts about the group’s increasingly radical ideology. It had become obsessed with defunding the police, divesting from Israel and diversity, equity and inclusion policies (DEI).
The US military denied claims that Iran had captured an American autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) in the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday evening.
NBC 10 Boston: Arrest made in ‘hateful graffiti’ case at popular NH coffee shop
Police say an arrest has been made following an incident earlier this month where a popular New Hampshire coffee shop was vandalized with a white supremacist message and had its windows broken. Tyler Inman, 20, of Allenston, has been charged with criminal mischief and falsifying evidence in connection with the incident at the Moka Pot on Hanover Street in Manchester.
Some of the loudest cheers for Sen. Ted Cruz at the Republicans’ recent midterm convention in Dallas came after the Texas politician targeted Muslim Americans and their faith’s religious code. “Sharia law has no place in America,” said Cruz. “We need to stand together and stop it now.”
CNN: ‘A national warning.’ How an American teen went from ISIS sympathizer to a convict in recovery
Ana and Andy Fischer didn’t know what else to do about their spiraling teenage son Daniel.
Their 16-year-old had gone from being a naive gamer to converting to an extreme vision of Islam in a matter of months – and began judging the world through that dark prism. If he wasn’t isolating in his room or on his phone, Daniel was arguing with them about religion.
Chron: Neo-Nazi group gathers in Texas to protest Karmelo Anthony sentencing
The National Socialist Movement (NSM), a prominent neo-Nazi and white supremacist organization, held a planned rally Saturday in Prosper, a city about 35 miles north of Dallas. Video captured by independent journalist Ford Fischer showed police monitoring the rally. Roughly 10 members of the group gathered, the video showed, and three apparent counter-protesters approached the event after 1 p.m. and delivered a cooler to the NSM. The counter-protesters were asked to leave the area by police.
A Department of Education committee recommended suspending the GW professional psychology program’s accreditor’s federal recognition, citing failure to identify antisemitism in its programs, including a 2023 complaint alleging antisemitic behavior by a professor at GW.
Jerusalem Post: Brandeis Center files EEOC complaint alleging antisemitism against Jewish professor
The Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law announced that it has filed a federal civil rights charge with the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) against Duquesne University.
Jerusalem Post: US government sues Ohio hospital over wrongful firing of surgeon for 'being Jewish'
An Ohio hospital is being sued by the US government for firing a surgeon for “being Jewish,” according a lawsuit filed last week. The US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) filed a lawsuit against Mercy Health in Youngstown, claiming a violation of federal law by subjecting a Jewish orthopedic surgeon to unfavorable terms and conditions of employment and “firing him because of his religion and race, shortly after the Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attacks in Israel.”
Canada
B.C. politicians and leaders are denouncing an apparent gathering of white nationalists on the Tk'emlúps te Secwépemc reserve, just east of Kamloops. Tk'emlúps te Secwépemc Kúkpi7 Rosanne Casimir says the nation received reports Sunday morning of a gathering of roughly 30 men, donning white face masks and black caps, standing together around the reserve while hoisting flags over their shoulders.
CBC: Police investigating threatening email sent to Muslim schools across Canada
A number of regional police forces in Ontario and Quebec have launched an investigation into an email sent to Islamic schools across Canada over the course of this week, which threatened to kill Muslims unless they are deported.
City News: Live stream video contained threats to Jewish community, man charged: police
A man from Kitchener has been charged after police were made aware of a live stream video this weekend, targeting members of the Jewish community. Saturday, the video was flagged to police, with reports it mentioned threats and antisemitic comments.
Jerusalem Post: CBC disciplined Jewish journalist who filmed anti-Israel protest during Yom Kippur
The Independent Press Gallery (IPG) issued a sharp condemnation on Saturday of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) following reports that the public broadcaster pulled veteran journalist Neil Herland off the air and subjected him to disciplinary proceedings.
Jerusalem Post: B’nai Brith Canada calls for armed security to be present at all Jewish institutions
B'nai Brith Canada demanded legislative changes permitting synagogues to hire armed, qualified security guards alongside the allocation and funding of law enforcement resources to ensure a sufficient police presence at every Jewish institution in Canada last Thursday.
Colombia
Fox News: ‘Wave of freedom’ sweeps Latin America as Trump ally takes fight to Marxist terror group
Colombian Vice President José Manuel Restrepo said his country is embracing President Donald Trump’s push for a new security alliance across the Western Hemisphere, but drew a clear line on the role American forces would play inside Colombia, telling Fox News Digital that Colombian troops — not U.S. forces — will carry out operations against the country’s armed groups.
Belgium
I24: Belgium attributes a coordinated campaign of attacks against Jewish targets to Iran
The Belgian authorities are now establishing a direct link between Iran and several attacks that targeted Jewish interests in the country in March. Gert Vercauteren, director of the Coordination Unit for Threat Analysis (OCAM), stated that the perpetrators had "certainly" responded to a call from Iran to strike Jewish and Israeli interests around the world.
France
French far-right candidate Marine Le Pen and far-left contender Jean-Luc Melenchon are seen reaching a run-off vote in next year's presidential election in each of five scenarios polled, according to a survey, opens new tab published on Monday. The results of the poll suggest that French voters may face a contest between extremes in the election, set for next April and May, with centrists falling behind at a time of rising prices, a sluggish economy and geopolitical instability.
Le Monde: Bardella denies report of antisemitic messages
Is the far-right Rassemblement National (RN), the self-proclaimed "shield of the Jews," led by a man who, at the start of his political career, believed in the most virulent antisemitic stereotypes? The question arose on Monday, September 28, when the investigative website Mediapart reported that the RN's president, Jordan Bardella, has in the past expressed extreme and compulsive antisemitism. Contacted by Mediapart, Bardella insisted that the reported text conversations were "grotesque forgeries" and denounced "a dirty tricks operation."
RFI: Far right gains ground in French Senate
RN presidential candidate Marine Le Pen hailed a “historic victory” after the results were announced. Local elected officials vote for new senators for half the upper chamber every three years, each to serve a six-year term.
Germany
Reuters: German security agencies face dilemma after victories for far right and far left
This month’s victories for far-right and far-left parties in German state elections have intensified official debate over whether security authorities can restrict secret information that might be passed on to Russia or criminal groups.
A decision by a city council in in eastern Germany to halt the laying of memorial plaques that honor Holocaust victims has sparked outrage, not least because some of Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s conservatives joined the far-right Alternative for Germany in supporting the move.
Bloomberg: German States Plot Moves to Stop Far-Right Holding Them Hostage
Germany’s state governments are considering changing voting rules to prevent the country’s far-right party from blocking decisions if it takes control in an eastern state where it now dominates.
Khaama: Hazara Community in Munich Marks Genocide Remembrance Day, Calls for Justice and Solidarity
Members of Afghanistan’s Hazara community, alongside German officials, academics, civil society activists and Afghan residents, gathered in Munich to commemorate the International Day of Genocide Remembrance and express solidarity with the Hazara people, calling for justice, recognition and greater unity among Afghanistan’s ethnic communities.
Brussels Signal: MEP Alexander Sell demands APPF scrutiny of European Greens over antisemitism
Alexander Sell, an Alternative for Germany (AfD) member of the European Parliament and a founder of the Europe of Sovereign Nations (ESN) party, has called on the Authority for European Political Parties and European Political Foundations to examine the European Green Party with the same tools now being used against ESN.
Ireland
Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin rejected claims that Ireland's sharp criticism of Israel has crossed into antisemitism as tensions flared around a politically charged soccer match between the countries Sunday, with Irish players holding a last-minute vote over whether to boycott the game.
Netherlands
NL Times: Maastricht University suspends Gazan student after post claiming Oct. 7 Israel attack
A student from Gaza at Maastricht University has been provisionally suspended after posting an Instagram video in which he claims he took part in the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, De Telegraaf reports. About 1,200 people were killed in the attack. It has not been confirmed whether that is actually true.
United Kingdom
Reuters: UK police release five on bail after arrests at airbase
British police said on Monday they had released on bail five men who were arrested on suspicion of terrorism and explosives offences near a British airbase used by the US, although they remain under investigation.
ABC News: Tipster in RAF Fairford plot had ‘partial picture,’ British minister says amid probe
A police cordon remained in place on Monday near a major air base hosting U.S. forces in the southwest of England, where British police arrested five men early on Sunday on suspicion of terrorism and explosives offenses. The men were detained in possession of three vans close to RAF Fairford, which has long served as a key European hub for the U.S. Air Force and a vital staging point for long-range operations in the Middle East -- including in the ongoing conflict with Iran.
The Guardian: Five men arrested at RAF Fairford are all UK nationals from London, say police
Five men arrested on suspicion of terror offences at RAF Fairford are all British nationals in their 20s from London, counter-terrorism police have said. The men were pictured on Sunday being apprehended, shirtless, near the RAF base in Gloucestershire, which is being used by the US air force in its operations against Iran.
The Telegraph: BBC accused of bias for calling dead terrorists ‘journalists’
The BBC has reported the deaths of 53 “journalists” in Gaza who have been claimed as terrorists by Hamas and other groups. Some of them took part in the Oct 7 attacks and several have been hailed as “martyrs” by their terrorist organisations.
New York Post: BBC roasted for linking unpainted fingernails to ‘white supremacy’ in woke article
The BBC is catching heat for an article claiming that the trend of leaving fingernails unpainted is a racist way of pushing “white supremacist standards of beauty.” The national broadcaster interviewed Paloma Buddemeier, a London nail salon owner, who shared that more and more customers are asking to skip the nail polish after their manicures, a fashion trend synonymous with “quiet luxury.”
Afghanistan
Afghanistan International: Taliban Closes Clinic In Western Kabul, Forces Patients Out, Say Sources
Sources told Afghanistan International that Taliban Justice Ministry forces closed Al-Zahra Clinic in Kabul’s Dasht-e-Barchi on Sunday, forcing patients and staff out before sealing its doors.
Afghanistan International: Three Taliban Members Killed In Faizabad, Says AFF
The Afghanistan Freedom Front (AFF) said on Monday, 28 September, that it killed at least three Taliban members and wounded two others in an attack on a Taliban vehicle in Faizabad, the capital of Badakhshan.
8AM Media: Afghanistan United Front Claims Killing Taliban Member in Kandahar
The Afghanistan United Front has claimed that it killed a member of the Taliban in Kandahar province. The group said on Sunday night, September 27, on its X account that the Taliban member was killed the previous day during an operation carried out by its forces.
Kabul Tribune: Pakistan Rejects Taliban Claims of Support for Armed Groups in Afghanistan
The Kabul Tribune (KT)— Pakistan on Sunday rejected allegations by the Taliban that Pakistani security forces or intelligence agencies were involved in recent fighting in Afghanistan’s Nuristan province, calling the claims “frivolous, baseless and devoid of any truth.”
AmuTV: Taliban ministry closes three more Shiite-linked institutions in Kabul
Local sources told Amu TV that the Taliban’s justice ministry headed by Abdul Hakim Sharaee has closed three more institutions serving the Shiite community in western Kabul, including a medical clinic, a religious school and a cultural center, expanding a series of closures targeting Shiite-linked institutions in the capital.
Gaza Strip/West Bank
A Hamas operative who the military says was involved in smuggling millions of shekels to the terror group’s military wing was killed in a strike in Gaza City yesterday.
Suspected far-right Jewish settler extremists caused extensive property damage in the Palestinian villages of Ras Karkar and Deir Abu Mashal near Ramallah overnight between Sunday and Monday, torching tractors, vehicles, and structures and spraying graffiti on buildings.
Iran
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy has claimed it seized a second US military underwater drone in the Strait of Hormuz.
Naharnet: Khamenei says Nasrallah ‘heroic prince of Arabs’ who follows prophets in greatness
Iran’s supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei has described slain Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah as the “heroic prince of the Arabs and the great symbol of the Resistance Front,” in a letter marking two years since his killing at Israel’s hand. “His speeches and initiatives strengthened the hearts of his people and the free people of the world,” Khamenei said.
Iran International: IRGC says Nasrallah’s path ‘continues’ two years after his death
IRGC said Sunday on the second anniversary of Hassan Nasrallah’s death that the former Hezbollah leader remained “alive” through his legacy and that his path would continue under his successor, Naim Qassem.
IranWire: IRGC Media Frames Currency Collapse as U.S. Psychological Operation
The price of the U.S. dollar in Iran’s free market crossed the 243,000-toman mark at noon today, Monday, September 28, setting a new historical record. However, Fars News Agency, affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), attributed the currency’s surge to remarks by the U.S. Treasury Secretary, Telegram channels, and local speculators.
On September 23, 2026, an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)-linked Telegram channel reposted a promotional video and announcement from Refah Bank publicizing Iran’s national “Zarrin Tamin” (Golden Provision) initiative, a gold-based financing and savings program aimed at Social Security pensioners and retirees.
Iraq
Shafaq: ISIS mortar attack kills woman in Kirkuk
A woman was killed and several civilians were wounded on Sunday when ISIS militants fired mortar shells at Al-Malha village in Iraq’s Kirkuk province, a security source told Shafaq News. The source described the toll as preliminary.
Rudaw: Kurdish teen killed in Kirkuk province during clashes between security forces, ISIS suspects
A Kurdish civilian teenager was killed on Sunday during clashes between Iraqi counter-terrorism forces and suspected Islamic State (ISIS) members in Prde (Altun Kupri) town in Kirkuk province. It remains unclear who shot him.
Kurdistan24: Dutch Defense Minister: We Will Continue Fight Against ISIS
Dutch Defense Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Dilan Yeşilgöz-Zegerius said allied engagement in the Middle East must continue as the international coalition's military mission in Iraq approaches its scheduled transition, stressing that the United States remains important to regional stability and that efforts against ISIS will continue.
Israel
Former hostage Yocheved Lifshitz accuses Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of using Likud Knesset candidate Itzik Bonzel to attack her in an effort to distract from recent reports alleging he received warnings ahead of the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack.
Likud Knesset candidate Itzik Bonzel says he wishes to “return” former hostage Yocheved Lifshitz to Hamas, after she disputed claims crediting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with securing the release of Israeli hostages abducted to Gaza during the October 7, 2023, attacks.
Amid a series of reports that he received warnings from Arab partners ahead of the October 7, 2023, Hamas invasion of southern Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu firmly denies that any warning from Egypt reached him, and blames the Shin Bet chief at the time for not passing on crucial intelligence.
Lebanon
Mourners and supporters gathered in Beirut and Baghdad over the weekend to mark the second anniversary of the killing of longtime Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.
Naharnet: Bassil to Hezbollah: Weapons are not greater than homeland
Free Patriotic Movement chief Gebran Bassil has noted that the Lebanese people had “embraced” Hezbollah’s armed struggle against Israel because it “liberated the land and defended the nation against those who aggressed upon it.”
Naharnet: Geagea accuses Hezbollah of enabling Israeli occupation of south Lebanon
Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea lashed out Monday at Hezbollah chief Sheikh Naim Qassem, accusing him of bringing about the Israeli occupation of south Lebanon, after Qassem criticized the framework agreement with Israel.
Naharnet: Report: Israel knew when Nasrallah ‘went to sleep’ and what he ‘liked to eat’
Two years after the dramatic assassination of Hezbollah Secretary-General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, new details have emerged from the closed-door deliberations of the Israeli army’s Intelligence Directorate and the Israeli Air Force.
Naharnet: Israeli report: Two years after Nasrallah’s death, Hezbollah still trying to rebuild
Two years after Israel assassinated Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, the group he shaped for decades is “still struggling to rebuild its command structure, military capabilities, and strategic standing following a campaign that systematically dismantled the network around him,” an Israeli media report said.
Naharnet: How Hezbollah marked second anniversary of Nasrallah's killing
Hezbollah supporters gathered near the tomb of their late former chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah on Sunday to mark the second anniversary of his killing by Israel, defiant even as two wars have left the Iran-backed group weakened.
AFP: Qassem says Israel unable to ‘break the resistance’
Hezbollah chief Sheikh Naim Qassem said on Sunday that Israel had been unable to break his Iran-backed group, at a ceremony marking two years since Israel killed the group’s longtime leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah.
Pakistan
Associated Press: Gunmen target ambulance in Pakistan after suicide bombing at checkpoint killed 12
Gunmen opened fire on an ambulance attending the scene of a suicide bomb attack at a roadside police checkpoint in northwestern Pakistan that killed at least 12 people on Saturday and wounded about 35 others, officials said.
Australia
Sydney Morning Herald: Swedish extremism network member jailed for abuse of Australian girl
Members of violent international extremism networks are coercing young Australians into harming themselves while evading authorities as they move across online platforms under multiple aliases.
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