Eye on Extremism: September 4, 2026
Top Stories
New York Times: Germany’s Far Right, Edging Close to Power, Remains Close to Extremists
In a recent social-media video, the top far-right leader in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt rode a powder-blue moped down a sunny country lane. It was the sort of optimistic, genial clip that has helped that leader, Ulrich Siegmund, appeal to centrist voters and has made his party the strong favorite to win state elections on Sunday.
JNS: Jewish institutional spending on security surpasses $1 billion annually, Jewish Federation says
Jewish institutions are now spending more than $1 billion annually on security, according to the Jewish Federations of North America, an umbrella group of more than 140 North American Federations. The $1 billion figure, which doesn’t include Jewish-owned private business costs, marks a 33% increase from $765 million in 2024 and amounts to $225,000 per institution. Most of the costs related to security personnel, the Federation said on Thursday.
CEP Mentions
OVB Heimatzeitungen: The network of disposable agents
Hans-Jakob Schindler heads the Counter Extremism Project in Berlin, New York, and Auschwitz. Our newspaper spoke with the security expert about the attack on arms companies in Munich, possibly Helsing or Rohde & Schwarz.
Analysis
The Economist: Iran’s proxies are going their own way
For years Iranian officials spoke of an “axis of resistance”, allies from Beirut to Sana’a who would stand together against common foes (see map). Yet when Iran was attacked twice in the past 15 months, each made a different decision about whether to join the fray. The axis may not be dead—but the brand has outlived the business.
Tech Policy Press: Violent Anti-Tech Extremism Has Roots in History
Will public backlash to new technologies lapse into further incidents of violence? Two aspects of contemporary tech suggest the answer is yes. One is the tech industry’s environmental impact—exemplified most clearly in debates over data centers—and its contribution to the effects from climate change. The other is tech’s new role as a symbol of the establishment: no longer perceived as liberating or anti-authority, new technologies like Flock cameras are pulling technology into a broader anti-establishment mood across the United States.
United States
Semafore: Many Americans lack confidence in US govt to foil terror attacks, poll finds
One-fifth of Americans say they have no confidence whatsoever in the US government to protect the public from future acts of terrorism, a record high, according to Gallup polling.
IranWire: $10 Million Reward Offered for Information on IRGC Cyber Operations Chief
The U.S. Department of State’s Rewards for Justice program announced on Thursday, September 3, 2026, a reward of up to $10 million for information leading to the identification or location of Amir Yaryab, head of the cyber operations division within the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Cyber-Electronic Command.
JNS: Legal scholars warn of ‘anti-Zionist exception’ to civil rights law
Courts risk creating an “anti-Zionist exception” that leaves Jews and allies with fewer civil rights protections than other groups, according to a forthcoming Cardozo Law Review essay.
JTA: US House passes bill stripping federal funds from universities that boycott Israel
The U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday approved a bill that would prevent federal funds from going to academic institutions that participate in commercial boycotts of Israel.
JNS: HHS issues guidance on combating Jew-hatred in healthcare
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services issued a guidance letter on Thursday to healthcare providers and other entities that receive department funding, clarifying how federal antidiscrimination laws apply to instances of Jew-hatred.
Fox News: The gunman in a deadly Minneapolis shooting had left a long trail of warning signs
Aryeh Myers is a senior paramedic and International Affairs representative for Magen David Adom, Israel's emergency medical service. He has held trainings for volunteers in the U.S. seeking to learn how to respond in the minutes after a terror attack.
PIX11: Mayor Mamdani declares executive orders ahead of 9/11
Ahead of the 25th anniversary of 9/11, Mayor Mamdani is making official declarations to honor the day with service while also announcing a more streamlined way for the city to be prepared for future emergencies. The mayor is declaring Sept. 11 as a New York City Day of remembrance and service, the first time this declaration has been made at the city level.
This year's 9/11 memorial service will be Zohran Mamdani's first as mayor of New York City. He says he views it as an "enormous responsibility" at a very somber time, and he wants to make sure the day is about those who were killed, not politics.
JNS: Case to proceed against Los Angeles man accused of threatening to ‘shoot up’ JCC
A case against a man accused of threatening to “shoot up” a Jewish Community Center in the Los Angeles area will move forward in court, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office said on Wednesday.
A kickboxing fight descended into hate-filled chaos when a fighter with an SS lightning bolt tattoo gave a Nazi salute after defeating his Jewish opponent — as supporters unveiled a swastika banner. The ugly scenes erupted at the Kia Center in Orlando on Saturday night as so-called “GypsyCrusader” Paul Miller — a convicted felon the Anti-Defamation League calls a “volatile white supremacist-accelerationist” — faced off against Jewish influencer Ben “King” Azoulay.
European Union
JNS: EU commissioner defends Jewish rites amid Belgian ‘milah’ row
Amid an international diplomatic row over the prosecution of three Jews in Belgium for performing brith milah, the E.U. commissioner for health and animal welfare said on Thursday that in addition to keeping Jews safe, European nations should allow them to practice their faith.
Belarus
Belsat: New Belarusian tool lets users search "extremist" lists with one click
Belarusians can now search for themselves in the thousands-strong lists of "extremists" with a single click, and also check whether a particular page has suddenly been labeled as "extremist material." The service was created by Belarusian programmer, AI educator, and blogger Aliaksei Kartynnik, better known as ITBeard.
Belgium
Hapoel Beersheba is expected to play in the Europa League, but it now appears that the team’s participation will not happen without challenges. The Belgian city of Leuven announced on Tuesday that it will not allow the club’s October match against Royale Union Saint-Gilloise to be held there.
Germany
NPR: Germany's far-right AfD party is poised for power in a state election
Everywhere Ulrich Siegmund goes, an influencer follows — streaming live from the campaign trail. Siegmund is the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) candidate running for governor in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt.
Looming over their lives, however, are the politics of Saxony-Anhalt. Polls have suggested that the election on Sunday could yield Germany’s first-ever state government led by the far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD), shattering a postwar taboo and leaving Fatemeh and her son’s fate in the hands of a party that has promised to launch deportations “from day one”.
United Kingdom
Counter Terror Business: Man jailed for sharing terrorist content
A man from Leicester has been sentenced after admitting to disseminating a terrorist publication on the grounds of recklessness, contrary to Section 2(1)(c) of the Terrorism Act 2006.
Sky News: Met Police chief 'flabbergasted' by release of knife and gun crime suspects on bail
Suspects charged with serious knife and firearm offences are being released on bail amid Britain's prison overcrowding crisis, the country's most senior police officer has warned.
The Greens are facing legal action from a portion of its own members after a trans woman was elected to a role on the party's council. Eleanora Folan, who describes herself as a communist and 'anti-Zionist', won a vote last month to represent the Eastern Region on the council in a women's role.
Russia
TVP World: Russia bans Nobel Peace Prize-winning group Memorial, labels it ‘extremist’
Russia's Supreme Court designated human rights group Memorial an "extremist" movement on Thursday, a move the group said marked a new phase of oppression in the country.
Afghanistan
Afghanistan International: Two Taliban Morality Police Members Killed In Helmand, Says United Front
The Afghanistan United Front has reported another attack on the Taliban in Helmand, saying its forces killed two members of the Taliban’s vice and virtue department in Nawa district. The group said the two men had been involved in the detention and harassment of young people.
Afghanistan International: Hezb-e Islami Leader Urges Party Members To Cut Ties With Taliban
Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, leader of Hezb-e Islami, has urged members and supporters of his party to cut ties with those who support the Taliban. He said anyone who has joined the Taliban administration or other groups should sever links with Hezb-e Islami.
Afghanistan International: National Resistance Front Names New Commander To Replace Hasib Panjshiri
The National Resistance Front of Afghanistan has appointed Commander Mukhtar Shoresh, a close associate of Hasib Panjshiri, as his successor following Panjshiri’s recent killing by the Taliban.
Afghanistan International: Taliban Detains More Than 20 Women In Herat, Say Sources
Local sources in Herat told Afghanistan International that Taliban forces detained several women on Thursday in the Jebrail area and near the entrance to Herat Industrial Park and took them to unknown locations. According to the sources, a group of women was initially detained by officers from the Taliban’s Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice in Herat’s Jebrail area.
Gaza Strip/West Bank
Times of Israel: US wanted Hamas to start disarming before Knesset election, but it’ll have to wait
US special envoy Jared Kushner sounded optimistic about the prospects for quickly advancing the disarmament of Hamas when he was in Israel on August 17. “We could be seeing progress… in as little as 30 days, hopefully in starting to take some of the weapons out,” Kushner told Fox News in an interview hours before he left the Jewish state.
Times of Israel: IDF says it captured 5 West Bank Palestinians planning terror attack
IDF commandos captured five Palestinians in the West Bank town of Qabatiya who the military says were planning a terror attack. The military says soldiers of the Duvdevan Commando Unit raided Qabatiya at dawn following intelligence provided by the Shin Bet on a cell of five Palestinian terrorists “who planned to carry out an attack against Israeli civilians and security forces.”
Times of Israel: IDF: Hamas commander who led Oct. 7 attack on Sufa base killed in airstrike
A Hamas commander who led the invasion of the Israeli military’s Sufa post on the border with the Gaza Strip on October 7, 2023, as well as held hostages in captivity, was killed in an airstrike this week, the IDF announces.
Iran
Naharnet: Iran preparing coordinated attack with Hezbollah, proxies, Israeli report says
Iran is planning "a dangerous scenario" after it drew lessons from October 7, an Israeli media report said. The report published in Maarif said Iran is preparing a coordinated attack on several fronts at the same time, including Iran, Hezbollah, Hamas, Yemen's Houthis, and Iraqi militias.
News.Az: Iran’s IRGC chief vows accountability over deadly Kouhestak wedding attack
The commander-in-chief of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Major General Ahmad Vahidi, has vowed that those responsible for what he described as a US attack on a wedding ceremony in the southern town of Kouhestak will be held accountable.
Iran International: Basij chief says Iran never sought talks, US must meet MoU terms
Hossein Taeb, head of the IRGC's Basij organization, said on Friday that Iran had never asked for a ceasefire or negotiations with the United States and that Washington must meet the terms of an existing memorandum of understanding.
New York Times: As Cease-Fire Teetered, Iran Plotted a Wider War With Aid of Its Proxies
Iran and its allies have taken powerful blows since 2023, when the militant group Hamas attacked Israel. Recent events, however, have shown their capacity to regroup, stir chaos and gain Iran leverage. Still, analysts do not consider the proxy forces — each with its own agenda — mere puppets of Tehran, though Iran’s level of coordination and control varies among them.
Iraq
Iraqi News: Iraqi judiciary completes interrogation of 5,700 ISIS suspects
The Supreme Judicial Council of Iraq has officially concluded the interrogation process for 5,704 ISIS detainees who were moved from northeastern Syria earlier this year, preparing them for trial. The First Karkh Investigation Court said in a statement on Tuesday that it concluded the investigation phase of one of Iraq’s largest terrorism-related cases in history.
Israel
Jerusalem Post: IDF raises alert level over concerns of a possible Hamas response to Gaza strikes
Concern is mounting within the IDF Southern Command that commanders in Hamas’s military wing could carry out a guerrilla operation against IDF outposts or patrols along the Yellow Line in response to a series of targeted strikes and the capture of a senior Hamas official earlier this week, sources told Walla on Thursday.
A man in his 30s was lightly wounded in the suspected stabbing terror attack in the Damascus Gate area of the Old City of Jerusalem, United Hatzalah said early Friday morning.
Lebanon
Naharnet: Aoun thanks US for release of 4 people from Israel, vows to disarm Hezbollah
President Joseph Aoun thanked the "United States under the leadership of President Donald Trump" in a statement Friday after the Red Cross transferred to Lebanon four more people detained by Israel, a day after a first person was freed.
Naharnet: Report: Bassil bodyguard details how he handled explosives in Syria arms smuggling case
A bodyguard of Free Patriotic Movement chief Gebran Bassil is also a State Security member and the brother of a detainee in the case of the Hezbollah-linked ring that allegedly planned attacks against the forces of Syria's new government, MTV reported on Friday.
AFP: Ali al-Taher ridge, strategic Hezbollah position Israel says it seized
Southern Lebanon's Ali al-Taher ridge, which the Israeli army on Thursday said it captured, was a strategic position for Iran-backed Hezbollah, where it was believed to have established a command center. Hezbollah did not confirm losing the highland, which is around 10 kilometers from the border with Israel and was targeted by several Israeli strikes in recent weeks despite a ceasefire.
Naharnet: Hezbollah MP: Israel's control of Ali al-Taher not a disaster
MP Ihab Hamadeh of Hezbollah noted Friday that "there is still ambiguity surrounding the reality of Israel's control over the Ali al-Taher hill," in the first comment from the Iran-backed group regarding Israel’s overnight announcement.
Syria
Reuters: Syria begins destroying Assad-era chemical weapons
Syria has begun destroying the remnants of a clandestine Assad-era chemical weapons program that it recovered in May, the first such destruction in a decade, a Syrian envoy and a U.N. representative said on Thursday.
Turkey
Daily Sabah: Daesh suspect accused of planning terrorist attack killed in Istanbul
A suspected member of the Daesh terrorist group who was allegedly planning an attack in Türkiye was killed after opening fire on police during an operation in Istanbul, local authorities said Friday.
Yemen
Kurdistan24: Houthi Advance Toward Bab al-Mandab Leaves 129 Dead
At least 129 people have been killed in Yemen since Houthi forces launched a new advance toward the strategic Bab al-Mandab Strait, according to an AFP tally compiled from military and medical sources, marking the deadliest fighting in years between the Iran-backed group and forces aligned with Yemen's internationally recognized government.
New York Times: Yemen’s Houthis Push Toward Red Sea Strait as Ground Fighting Escalates
Fighting in Yemen has escalated in recent days as the Houthis, an Iran-backed militia, try to seize territory that could give them greater control over an important international shipping route through the Red Sea, according to local security officials.
Mozambique
Reuters: Americans evacuated after Mozambique wildlife camp attack, source says
At least three Americans were evacuated after suspected insurgents attacked a camp co-owned by soccer coach Carlos Queiroz in a wildlife reserve in northern Mozambique, a source familiar with the incident said on Friday. Queiroz, who coaches Ghana's national team, said he was awaiting information from military and security authorities to ascertain what had happened.
Somalia
Hiiraan Online: Somali government closes 82,000 extremist-linked social media pages in 2026
Somalia’s federal government has shut down 82,000 social media pages in 2026 that were allegedly being used by terrorist groups to spread extremist propaganda.
Australia
Times of Israel: Australian Jews and Muslims still hang hopes on fragile dialogue after Bondi attack
Leaders say relations between communities at all-time low as antisemitism spike since Oct. 7 raises concern hatred is being normalized. A tenacious few refuse to let interfaith talks die.
Searchlight: ‘March for Australia’ loses numbers but neo-nazi influence grows
Australia’s far right took to the streets again last weekend for the second annual ‘March for Australia’, but its latest mobilisation exposed a campaign struggling to mobilise support while becoming increasingly comfortable with openly neo-nazi politics.
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