Hani Ahmed al-Kurdi is a senior ISIS leader. On June 15, 2022, U.S.-led coalition forces captured al-Kurdi in an operation in northeast Syria.Gordon Lubold and Nancy Youssef, “Senior ISIS Leader Captured in Syria, U.S. Military Officials Say,” Wall Street Journal, June 16, 2022, https://www.wsj.com/articles/senior-isis-leader-captured-in-syria-u-s-military-officials-say-11655347828.

According to media sources, al-Kurdi is one of ISIS’s most influential figures in Syria. Al-Kurdi is also known as the “Wali of Raqqa,” which roughly translates to the governor of Raqqa. Media sources claim the name suggests al-Kurdi holds a significant role within the group as Raqqa was once ISIS’s de facto capital.Karoun Demirjian, “ISIS bomb maker detained in Syria raid, U.S. military says,” Washington Post, June 15, 2022, https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2022/06/15/us-raid-isis-bomb-maker/. Additionally, according to a statement released by U.S. military personnel, al-Kurdi is “an experienced bomb maker and facilitator.” Media sources also reported a U.S. official described al-Kurdi as actively planning ISIS operations.Luis Martinez and Matt Seyler, “US military ground raid in Syria captures top ISIS leader described as 'experienced bomb maker',” ABC News, June 16, 2022, https://abc7ny.com/isis-leader-captured-raid-syria-us-captures-issi/11964691/.

On June 15, 2022, U.S.-led coalition forces launched an operation in northeast Syria, capturing al-Kurdi in the process.Gordon Lubold and Nancy Youssef, “Senior ISIS Leader Captured in Syria, U.S. Military Officials Say,” Wall Street Journal, June 16, 2022, https://www.wsj.com/articles/senior-isis-leader-captured-in-syria-u-s-military-officials-say-11655347828. BBC News reported that the operation occurred in al-Humayra, a town close to the Turkish border.David Gritten, “US-led coalition capture senior IS leader in north Syria raid,” BBC News, June 26, 2022, https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-61824059.

Oumeya Ould Albakaye is a senior leader of Islamic State in Greater Sahara (ISGS). He served as a regional chief for the group in Burkina Faso and Mali. On June 11, 2022, Albakaye was captured by French troops deployed under Operation Barkhane in Mali.“France says it has captured a senior Islamic State figure in Mali,” Euronews, June 15, 2022, https://www.euronews.com/2022/06/15/france-says-it-has-captured-a-senior-islamic-state-figure-in-mali.

Albakaye is an explosives expert and served as ISGS’s chief in Gourma, Mali and Oudalan, Burkina Faso.“France says it has captured Islamic State bigwig in Mali,” Al Jazeera, June 15, 2022, https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/6/15/france-says-it-captured-islamic-states-senior-leader-in-mali. The French army stated that Albakaye is believed to have carried out terrorist attacks against soldiers and civilians in Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso to undermine French forces within Mali.“France says it has captured a senior Islamic State figure in Mali,” Euronews, June 15, 2022, https://www.euronews.com/2022/06/15/france-says-it-has-captured-a-senior-islamic-state-figure-in-mali.

On the night of June 11, 2022, French forces deployed under Operation Barkhane, France’s counterterrorism mission in the Sahel, carried out an operation on the border between Mali and Niger, capturing Albakaye in the process. According to the French Armed Forces Ministry, Albakaye was found with several mobile phones, weapons, and “numerous resources.”“France captures Islamic State group leader in Mali,” France 24, June 15, 2022, https://www.france24.com/en/africa/20220615-france-captures-islamic-state-group-leader-in-mali; “France says it has captured a senior Islamic State figure in Mali,” Euronews, June 15, 2022, https://www.euronews.com/2022/06/15/france-says-it-has-captured-a-senior-islamic-state-figure-in-mali.

France captured Albakaye amid the French army’s withdrawal from the Mali due to deteriorating relations between Paris and Bamako. France’s army has been deployed in the West African country under Operation Barkhane since 2014 to battle the ongoing jihadist insurgency across the Sahel.“France Claims Capture of Senior IS-GS Figure in Mali,” The Defense Post, June 15, 2022, https://www.thedefensepost.com/2022/06/15/france-capture-is-gs-figure/; “France captures Islamic State group leader in Mali,” France 24, June 15, 2022, https://www.france24.com/en/africa/20220615-france-captures-islamic-state-group-leader-in-mali. According to media sources, Albakaye will be held by French forces for questioning for several days and then handed to the Malian authorities.“France captures Islamic State group leader in Mali,” France 24, June 15, 2022, https://www.france24.com/en/africa/20220615-france-captures-islamic-state-group-leader-in-mali.

Mohammad Naufer is “second emir” of a group of ISIS supporters who call themselves ISIS in Sri Lanka. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the group is responsible for planning and carrying out the April 2019 Easter attacks across Sri Lanka which killed 267 people and injured 500 others.“Three Foreign Nationals Charged with Conspiring to Provide Material Support to ISIS,” U.S. Department of Justice, January 8, 2021, https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/three-foreign-nationals-charged-conspiring-provide-material-support-isis. On November 23, 2021, Naufer, along with 24 others, stood trial for their connection to the attacks.Uditha Jayasinghe, “Sri Lanka begins trial of 25 accused of plotting 2019 Easter bombings,” Reuters, November 23, 2021, https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/sri-lanka-begins-trial-25-accused-plotting-2019-easter-bombings-2021-11-23.

According to media sources, Naufer is one of the founding members of the National Tawheed Jamaat (NTJ), a local Islamist group that reportedly pledged allegiance to ISIS and that Sri Lanka has accused of carrying out the Easter Sunday attacks.“Three Foreign Nationals Charged with Conspiring to Provide Material Support to ISIS,” U.S. Department of Justice, January 8, 2021, https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/three-foreign-nationals-charged-conspiring-provide-material-support-isis; “Sri Lankan names Naufar Maulavi as mastermind behind 2019 Easter bombings,” South Asia Monitor, April 7, 2021, https://www.southasiamonitor.org/sri-lanka/sri-lankan-names-naufar-maulavi-mastermind-behind-2019-easter-bombings. According to Sarath Weerasekra, Sri Lanka’s minster of public security, Naufer brought the ideology of ISIS to Sri Lanka in 2014, and in 2016 directed Saharan Hashmin—one of the eight suicide bombers in the April 2019 attacks—towards carrying out extremist activities in the country.“Sri Lankan names Naufar Maulavi as mastermind behind 2019 Easter bombings,” South Asia Monitor, April 7, 2021, https://www.southasiamonitor.org/sri-lanka/sri-lankan-names-naufar-maulavi-mastermind-behind-2019-easter-bombings.

On April 21, 2019, suicide bombers launched a coordinated series of attacks on three Catholic churches in Colombo, Negombo, and Batticaloa, as well as three luxury hotels in Colombo.“Sri Lanka Attacks: What We Know and Don’t Know,” New York Times, April 24, 2019, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/24/world/asia/sri-lanka-easter-bombing-attacks.html. The attacks killed 267 people and wounded 500 others. Most of the victims were from Sri Lanka’s minority Christian community. That evening, an improvised explosive device was defused near Colombo’s Bandaranaike International Airport. Police found 87 detonators in a private terminal of the main bus station in Colombo, and a controlled explosion was carried out on a van near the Roman Catholic St. Anthony’s church also in Colombo.Jenni Marsh, Julia Hollingsworth, Bianca Britton and Barbara Starr, “Sri Lanka fears international terror link to Easter Sunday atrocities,” CNN, April 23, 2019, https://edition.cnn.com/2019/04/22/asia/sri-lanka-investigation-easter-attacks/index.html. Along with countless Sri Lankans, the victims included more than a dozen foreign nationals from the United States, Australia, the United Kingdom, China, the Netherlands, India, Portugal, Japan, and Turkey.“Sri Lanka Attacks: What We Know and Don’t Know,” New York Times, April 24, 2019, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/24/world/asia/sri-lanka-easter-bombing-attacks.html.

Shortly after the attacks, the Sri Lankan government admitted that it had not responded to warnings from U.S. and Indian intelligence agencies about a possible attack.Iqbal Athas and Helen Regan, “Sri Lanka Easter bombings investigation calls for former President to be prosecuted,” CNN, February 24, 2021, https://www.cnn.com/2021/02/24/asia/sri-lanka-easter-attack-report-sirisena-intl-hnk/index.html; Morgan Winsor and Dragana Jovanovic, “ISIS claims responsibility for Sri Lanka Easter bombings that killed over 350,” ABC News, April 23, 2019, https://abcnews.go.com/International/isis-claims-responsibility-sri-lanka-easter-bombings-killed/story?id=62570339; “Sri Lanka attacks: 23,000 charges filed against suspects as trial begins,” BBC News, November 24, 2021, https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-59397642. The alleged ringleader of the attack, Zahran Hashim was a radical Islamist preacher, who was known to the authorities and the local Muslim community. Hashim—who believed that he was following in the footsteps of Tamim Ahmed Chowdhury, the Emir of ISIS in Bangladesh—killed himself after detonating an explosive at the Shangri-La hotel in Colombo. Chowdhury, a Bangladeshi Canadian allegedly masterminded the July 2015 Dhaka attack at the Gulchand Café which killed 29 people. According to media sources, weeks before the attack, India's intelligence service warned Sri Lanka authorities that Zahran was planning an attack on churches and hotels.Iqbal Athas and Helen Regan, “Sri Lanka Easter bombings investigation calls for former President to be prosecuted,” CNN, February 24, 2021, https://www.cnn.com/2021/02/24/asia/sri-lanka-easter-attack-report-sirisena-intl-hnk/index.html.

On April 23, ISIS claimed responsibility for the attacks, releasing a video of suspects pledging allegiance to ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.Deborah Haynes, “Wealthy and well-educated: The bombers behind the Sri Lanka attacks,” Sky News, May 1, 2019, https://news.sky.com/story/wealthy-and-well-educated-the-bombers-behind-the-sri-lanka-attacks-11708206. ISIS also released a statement claiming the attackers were “among the fighters of the Islamic State.” According to media sources, multiple U.S. sources briefed on the investigation believed ISIS was involved in the Sri Lanka attacks in a supportive capacity but were uncertain to what degree.Morgan Winsor and Dragana Jovanovic, “ISIS claims responsibility for Sri Lanka Easter bombings that killed over 350,” ABC News, April 23, 2019, https://abcnews.go.com/International/isis-claims-responsibility-sri-lanka-easter-bombings-killed/story?id=62570339

On January 8, 2021, the U.S. Department of Justice announced that Naufer, along with Mohamed Anwar Mohamed Riskan and Ahamed Milhan Hayathu Moahmed were charged with terrorism offenses, including conspiring to provide material support to ISIS. According to the Justice Department, the men were part of a group of ISIS supporters which called itself “ISIS in Sri Lanka” who were responsible for the 2019 Easter attacks. As second emir of ISIS in Sri Lanka, Naufer reportedly led the group’s propaganda efforts, recruited others to join ISIS, and led a series of multi-day military-type trainings.“Three Foreign Nationals Charged with Conspiring to Provide Material Support to ISIS,” U.S. Department of Justice, January 8, 2021, https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/three-foreign-nationals-charged-conspiring-provide-material-support-isis. Furthermore, the three men allegedly conspired to provide, provided, and attempted to provide material support through services and personnel to ISIS. The men stand accused of serving as ISIS supporters in Sri Lanka seeking to plan and encourage violent attacks to advance ISIS’s goals, obtaining explosives and materials for IEDs, and recruiting other individuals to join ISIS.“Three Foreign Nationals Charged with Conspiring to Provide Material Support to ISIS,” U.S. Department of Justice, January 8, 2021, https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/three-foreign-nationals-charged-conspiring-provide-material-support-isis.

On November 23, 2021, Naufer stood trial in Sri Lanka with 24 other men accused of masterminding the 2019 Easter bombings. More than 23,000 charges have been filed against the suspects, and 1,215 witnesses have been called to testify. Among the charges were conspiring to murder, aiding and abetting the attacks, and collecting arms and ammunition. According to the defendants lawyers, the trial is expected to last for years given the large number of charges and witnesses. While all of the suicide bombers who carried out the attacks were killed in the explosions, their associates and relatives stand accused of being involved in planning and masterminding the terrorist attacks.“Sri Lanka attacks: 23,000 charges filed against suspects as trial begins,” BBC News, November 24, 2021, https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-59397642. Along with Naufer, another notable suspect is Yusuf Mohamed Ibrahim, a powerful Sri Lankan businessman whose two sons, Ilham and Inshaf, carried out the Easter Sunday attacks.Uditha Jayasinghe, “Sri Lanka begins trial of 25 accused of plotting 2019 Easter bombings,” Reuters, November 23, 2021, https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/sri-lanka-begins-trial-25-accused-plotting-2019-easter-bombings-2021-11-23. The trial remains ongoing.

Zahran Hashim was a Sri Lankan radical Islamist preacher who was the mastermind of the April 21, 2019, Easter Sunday attacks in Sri Lanka.“Sri Lanka bombings ringleader died in hotel attack, president says,” BBC News, April 26, 2019, https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-48062841. The series of bombings targeted three churches and three luxury hotels, killing 267 people and wounding 500 others.Iqbal Athas and Helen Regan, “Sri Lanka Easter bombings investigation calls for former President to be prosecuted,” CNN, February 24, 2021, https://www.cnn.com/2021/02/24/asia/sri-lanka-easter-attack-report-sirisena-intl-hnk/index.html; Morgan Winsor and Dragana Jovanovic, “ISIS claims responsibility for Sri Lanka Easter bombings that killed over 350,” ABC News, April 23, 2019, https://abcnews.go.com/International/isis-claims-responsibility-sri-lanka-easter-bombings-killed/story?id=62570339; “Sri Lanka attacks: 23,000 charges filed against suspects as trial begins,” BBC News, November 24, 2021, https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-59397642.

Hashim hailed from Kattankudy, a coastal town in Sri Lanka. Hashim, along with his brothers, were allegedly sent by his father to a madrassa where he was taught strict interpretations of Islam. Although Hashim showcased skill of the teachings of the Quran, he reportedly was often at odds with his teachers.Hannah Beech, “Sri Lankan Accused of Leading Attacks Preached Slaughter. Many Dismissed Him,” New York Times, April 25, 2019, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/25/world/asia/sri-lanka-attacks-mastermind.html?action=click&module=Top%20Stories&pgtype=Homepage.

In 2014, Hashim started the National Tawheed Jamaat (NTJ), a local Islamist group that complied with the fundamentalist teachings of the Wahhabi tradition of Islam. Hashim reportedly later founded his own mosque in Kattankudy—allegedly, per media sources, with funding from India. However, the group never received religious certification. According to media sources, by 2017, Hashim and his followers began targeting a Sufi sect—a strain of Islam that follows a mystical form of the faith—in Kattankudy, accusing its members of being infidels. Additionally, it was reported that in one instance, Hashim violently charged towards Sufis with a sword. The Sufis were reportedly handing out packets of rice to the poor, but Hashim interpreted the actions as trying to bribe hungry converts.Hannah Beech, “Sri Lankan Accused of Leading Attacks Preached Slaughter. Many Dismissed Him,” New York Times, April 25, 2019, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/25/world/asia/sri-lanka-attacks-mastermind.html?action=click&module=Top%20Stories&pgtype=Homepage.

Hashim gained further notoriety in 2018 when he, along with a group of his followers, defaced several Buddhist statues in central Sri Lanka. According to media sources, Hashim claimed that “Islam prohibits idol worship so statues should be destroyed.” Despite the public outrage, Zahran was not arrested.James Griffiths and Sam Kiley, Sri Lanka bombers’ mentor is dead, but his memory still stokes fear,” CNN, April 26, 2019, https://www.cnn.com/2019/04/26/asia/sri-lanka-suicide-bomber-intl/index.html. Hashim then built a following on YouTube where he posted videos promoting violence against non-Muslims. In the days prior to the 2019 Easter Sunday attacks, Hashim appeared in a video released by ISIS in which seven men pledged allegiance to the extremist group. Media sources suggest some of the men were the Easter Sunday suicide bombers. However, Hashim was the only individual to show his face in the video. It is unreported if Hashim had been in direct contact with ISIS or if he only pledged allegiance to the group.“Sri Lanka bombings ringleader died in hotel attack, president says,” BBC News, April 26, 2019, https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-48062841.

On April 21, 2019, Hashim, along with seven other suicide bombers, launched a coordinated series of attacks on three Catholic churches in Colombo, Negombo, and Batticaloa, as well as three luxury hotels in Colombo.“Sri Lanka Attacks: What We Know and Don’t Know,” April 24, 2019, New York Times, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/24/world/asia/sri-lanka-easter-bombing-attacks.html. The attacks killed 267 people and wounded 500 others. Most of the victims were from Sri Lanka’s minority Christian community. That evening, an improvised explosive device was defused near Colombo’s Bandaranaike International Airport. Police found 87 detonators in a private terminal of the main bus station in Colombo, and a controlled explosion was carried out on a van near the Roman Catholic St. Anthony’s church also in Colombo.Jenni Marsh, Julia Hollingsworth, Bianca Britton and Barbara Starr, “Sri Lanka fears international terror link to Easter Sunday atrocities,” CNN, April 23, 2019, https://edition.cnn.com/2019/04/22/asia/sri-lanka-investigation-easter-attacks/index.html. Along with countless Sri Lankans, the victims included more than a dozen foreign nationals from the United States, Australia, the United Kingdom, China, the Netherlands, India, Portugal, Japan, and Turkey.“Sri Lanka Attacks: What We Know and Don’t Know,” April 24, 2019, New York Times, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/24/world/asia/sri-lanka-easter-bombing-attacks.html. Hashim killed himself after detonating an explosive at the Shangri-La hotel in Colombo.Iqbal Athas and Helen Regan, “Sri Lanka Easter bombings investigation calls for former President to be prosecuted,” CNN, February 24, 2021, https://www.cnn.com/2021/02/24/asia/sri-lanka-easter-attack-report-sirisena-intl-hnk/index.html.

Shortly after the attacks, the Sri Lankan government admitted that it had not responded to warnings from U.S. and Indian intelligence agencies about a possible attack.Iqbal Athas and Helen Regan, “Sri Lanka Easter bombings investigation calls for former President to be prosecuted,” CNN, February 24, 2021, https://www.cnn.com/2021/02/24/asia/sri-lanka-easter-attack-report-sirisena-intl-hnk/index.html; Morgan Winsor and Dragana Jovanovic, “ISIS claims responsibility for Sri Lanka Easter bombings that killed over 350,” ABC News, April 23, 2019, https://abcnews.go.com/International/isis-claims-responsibility-sri-lanka-easter-bombings-killed/story?id=62570339; “Sri Lanka attacks: 23,000 charges filed against suspects as trial begins,” BBC News, November 24, 2021, https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-59397642. According to Sri Lankan officials, Hashim was the ringleader of the attack. Media sources reported that Hashim allegedly believed that he was following in the footsteps of Tamim Ahmed Chowdhury, the emir of ISIS in Bangladesh. Chowdhury, a Bangladeshi Canadian allegedly masterminded the July 2015 attack at the Gulchand Café in Dhaka, Bangladesh, which killed 29 people. According to media sources, weeks before the attack, India’s intelligence service warned Sri Lanka authorities that Zahran was planning an attack on churches and hotels.Iqbal Athas and Helen Regan, “Sri Lanka Easter bombings investigation calls for former President to be prosecuted,” CNN, February 24, 2021, https://www.cnn.com/2021/02/24/asia/sri-lanka-easter-attack-report-sirisena-intl-hnk/index.html.

On April 23, 2019, ISIS claimed responsibility for the attacks, releasing a video of suspects pledging allegiance to then-ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.Deborah Haynes, “Wealthy and well-educated: The bombers behind the Sri Lanka attacks,” Sky News, May 1, 2019, https://news.sky.com/story/wealthy-and-well-educated-the-bombers-behind-the-sri-lanka-attacks-11708206. ISIS also released a statement claiming the attackers were “among the fighters of the Islamic State.” According to media sources, multiple U.S. sources briefed on the investigation believed ISIS was involved in the Sri Lanka attacks in a supportive capacity but were uncertain to what degree.Morgan Winsor and Dragana Jovanovic, “ISIS claims responsibility for Sri Lanka Easter bombings that killed over 350,” ABC News, April 23, 2019, https://abcnews.go.com/International/isis-claims-responsibility-sri-lanka-easter-bombings-killed/story?id=62570339.

Abu Hasan al-Hashimi al-Qurashi was the leader of ISIS and the successor of Amir Muhammad Sa’id Abdal-Rahman al-Mawla a.k.a. Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Quraishi. Following the death of al-Mawla in February 2022, al-Qurashi was named the new leader of ISIS on March 10, 2022.Agence France-Presse, “IS Names New Leader, Confirms Death Of Abu Ibrahim Al-Qurashi,” Barron’s, March 10, 2022, https://www.barrons.com/news/is-names-new-leader-confirms-death-of-abu-ibrahim-al-qurashi-01646930407?tesla=y. On May 26, 2022, al-Qurashi was reportedly captured in a raid by Turkish anti-terrorism and intelligence agents in Istanbul.Firat Kozok, “Turkey Has Detained Islamic State’s New Leader, Officials Say,” Bloomberg, May 26, 2022, https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-05-26/turkey-has-detained-islamic-state-s-new-leader-officials-say; Chris Matthews, “New ISIS leader 'is captured in Istanbul raid' three months after previous chief was killed in US operation,” Daily Mail, May 26, 2022, https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10857583/New-ISIS-leader-captured-Istanbul-raid-three-months-boss-killed-operation.html. The reports were never corroborated, but on November 30, 2022, U.S. Central Command confirmed that al-Qurashi was killed in an operation conducted by The Free Syrian Army in mid-October.“Death of ISIS Leader,” U.S. Central Command, November 30, 2022, https://www.centcom.mil/MEDIA/PRESS-RELEASES/Press-Release-View/Article/3232259/death-of-isis-leader/.

On February 3, 2022, U.S. Special Forces launched a raid in Atmeh, northern Syria, targeting al-Mawla. At the beginning of the operation, al-Mawla detonated a bomb that killed himself and his family members.“U.S. says Islamic State leader killed in Syria raid,” Reuters, February 3, 2022, https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-led-coalition-operation-northern-syria-targeted-jihadists-2022-02-03/; “U.S. Announces Death of ISIS Leader in Raid,” New York Times, February 3, 2022, https://www.nytimes.com/live/2022/02/03/world/us-raid-syria-isis. A month later, on March 10, 2022, ISIS released an audio recording in which the group’s spokesperson confirmed al-Mawla’s death and announced the appointment of al-Qurashi. According to the statement, ISIS jihadists “pledged allegiance” to “Abu Hasan al-Hashemi al-Qurashi as an emir over believers and the caliph of Muslims.”Agence France-Presse, “IS Names New Leader, Confirms Death Of Abu Ibrahim Al-Qurashi,” Barron’s, March 10, 2022, https://www.barrons.com/news/is-names-new-leader-confirms-death-of-abu-ibrahim-al-qurashi-01646930407?tesla=y.

The Arab news site Al-Ain has suggested al-Qurashi was a pseudonym for Zaid al-Iraqi, a.k.a. “the ISIS professor” because he oversaw ISIS’s Diwan of Education, the group’s former education bureau when it maintained a physical caliphate in Iraq and Syria.“أبو الحسن الهاشمي.. من هو زعيم داعش الجديد؟,” Al-Ain, March 10, 2022, https://al-ain.com/article/isis-new-leader-education-head.

According to Iraqi and Western security officials, al-Qurashi was allegedly the brother of former ISIS caliph Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. Al-Qurashi reportedly joined Salafi jihadist groups in 2003 and often accompanied Baghdadi as a personal companion and Islamic legal adviser.“EXCLUSIVE New Islamic State leader is brother of slain caliph Baghdadi – sources,” Reuters, March 11, 2022, https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/exclusive-new-islamic-state-leader-is-brother-slain-caliph-baghdadi-sources-2022-03-11/?utm_source=iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=3872702_. Additionally, al-Qurashi was Baghdadi’s most trusted messenger and often traveled between northern Syria to Istanbul, Turkey, to deliver and retrieve information about ISIS’s operations.Rob Crilly, “Baghdadi's older BROTHER named the new leader of ISIS: The little known sibling of slain terrorist leader who comes from a circle of bloodthirsty Iraqi jihadists made more extreme by the 2002 US invasion,” Daily Mail, March 11, 2022, https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10603017/New-Islamic-State-leader-brother-slain-caliph-Baghdadi-sources.html. Prior to being named the new caliph, al-Qurashi served as the leader of ISIS’s five-member Shura Council. The group determines who will succeed a leader when they are killed or captured.“EXCLUSIVE New Islamic State leader is brother of slain caliph Baghdadi – sources,” Reuters, March 11, 2022, https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/exclusive-new-islamic-state-leader-is-brother-slain-caliph-baghdadi-sources-2022-03-11/?utm_source=iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=3872702_. Security services last tracked al-Qurashi’s location to be in northwestern Syria after he returned from Istanbul in April 2020.Rob Crilly, “Baghdadi's older BROTHER named the new leader of ISIS: The little known sibling of slain terrorist leader who comes from a circle of bloodthirsty Iraqi jihadists made more extreme by the 2002 US invasion,” Daily Mail, March 11, 2022, https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10603017/New-Islamic-State-leader-brother-slain-caliph-Baghdadi-sources.html.

On May 26, 2022, media sources reported that al-Qurashi was allegedly captured in a raid by Turkish anti-terrorism police and intelligence agents in Istanbul, Turkey.Chris Matthews, “New ISIS leader 'is captured in Istanbul raid' three months after previous chief was killed in US operation,” Daily Mail, May 26, 2022, https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10857583/New-ISIS-leader-captured-Istanbul-raid-three-months-boss-killed-operation.html. The information of al-Qurashi’s capture was reportedly provided by senior Turkish officials. According to reports, the senior officials claimed the operation was conducted following a lengthy police surveillance of a house al-Qurashi was staying in.Firat Kozok, “Turkey Has Detained Islamic State’s New Leader, Officials Say,” Bloomberg, May 26, 2022, https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-05-26/turkey-has-detained-islamic-state-s-new-leader-officials-say.

Reports of al-Qurashi’s capture were never confirmed, and on November 30, 2022, ISIS announced the death of al-Qurashi. In an official statement, the group claimed the deceased leader was killed in action but offered no other explanation regarding his death. The statement also declared Abu al-Hussain al-Hussaini al-Qurashi as the new leader of the terrorist group.Rachel Hagan, “ISIS leader 'killed in action' as murderous group names its new caliph,” Mirror, November 30, 2022, https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/breaking-isis-leader-killed-action-28621464. That same day, U.S. Central Command confirmed that al-Qurashi was killed in an operation conducted by The Free Syrian Army in Dar’a province in mid-October.“Death of ISIS Leader,” U.S. Central Command, November 30, 2022, https://www.centcom.mil/MEDIA/PRESS-RELEASES/Press-Release-View/Article/3232259/death-of-isis-leader/.

According to ISIS scholars, the late leader’s real name was either Nour Karim Matani or Sayf Baghdad, the latter surname an indication that he once commanded ISIS’s operations in Baghdad. Additionally, there is a possibility al-Qurashi spent time in U.S. custody—likely from 2003 to 2010 during the war in Iraq—given that U.S. CENTCOM confirmed his identity via DNA samples. Sources also allege that al-Qurashi’s family was deeply embedded within ISIS’s Rawi Network—an ISIS financial facilitation group that has moved substantial funds for the terror group across Europe, Africa, and the Middle East.Charles Lister, “ISIS leader’s death raises intriguing questions,” Middle East Institute, December 5, 2022, https://www.mei.edu/publications/isis-leaders-death-raises-intriguing-questions; “Treasury Designates Key Nodes of ISIS’s Financial Network Stretching Across the Middle East, Europe, and East Africa,” U.S. Department of the Treasury, April 15, 2019, https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/sm657.

Bashar Khattab Ghazal al-Sumaidai is a senior ISIS leader, currently serving as the head of the ISIS judiciary.Sami Moubayed, “Who Will Replace the Slain Leaders of the Islamic State?,” European Eye on Radicalization, February 15, 2021, https://eeradicalization.com/who-will-replace-the-slain-leaders-of-the-islamic-state/. According to media sources, al-Sumaidai is high on the list of wanted terrorists by the Iraqi Army.“Who Will Replace the Slain Leaders of the Islamic State?,” European Eye on Radicalization, February 15, 2021, https://eeradicalization.com/who-will-replace-the-slain-leaders-of-the-islamic-state/. After the February 2022 death of ISIS leader Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Quraishi, al-Sumaidai was considered a top candidate to be ISIS’s new emir.Hassan Hassan, “The Next Islamic State Caliph,” New Lines Magazine, February 16, 2022, https://newlinesmag.com/reportage/the-next-islamic-state-caliph/. However, a few months later on September 8, 2022, al-Sumaidai was arrested in a joint operation by Turkish security services and the Istanbul police.“Turkey Captures ‘Senior’ IS Leader Abu Zeyd: Erdogan,” Defense Post, September 8, 2022, https://www.thedefensepost.com/2022/09/08/turkey-captures-is-leader/.

Al-Sumaidai is from the same tribe as Iraq’s current Sunni grand mufti, Mahdi bin Ahmed al-Sumaidi.Hassan Hassan, “The Next Islamic State Caliph,” New Lines Magazine, February 16, 2022, https://newlinesmag.com/reportage/the-next-islamic-state-caliph/. The Sumaidai tribe is concentrated northwest of Ramadi, Iraq, and traces its ancestry to Islam’s prophet Mohammad.“Who Will Replace the Slain Leaders of the Islamic State?,” European Eye on Radicalization, February 15, 2021, https://eeradicalization.com/who-will-replace-the-slain-leaders-of-the-islamic-state/. Before joining ISIS, al-Sumaidai reportedly was a member of Ansar al-Islam (AAI) in Iraq. The U.S. government designated AAI as a Foreign Terrorist Organization in 2004 because of its “close links to and support from” al-Qaeda.“Foreign Terrorist Organizations: Designation of Ansar al-Islam (Al), Redesignation of Three Others,” U.S. Department of State, March 22, 2004, https://2001-2009.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2004/30649.htm. AAI initially trained in al-Qaeda camps in Afghanistan and provided safe haven in Iraq for al-Qaeda leaders fleeing the country after the U.S. invasion in 2003. AAI has previously targeted Iraqi, U.S., and coalition forces in Iraq. Part of the group pledged allegiance to ISIS in 2014, but another faction within AAI has continued to fight against ISIS in Syria.“Iraqi Kurdistan profile – timeline,” BBC News, October 31, 2017, https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-15467672; “Foreign Terrorist Organizations: Designation of Ansar al-Islam (Al), Redesignation of Three Others,” U.S. Department of State, March 22, 2004, https://2001-2009.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2004/30649.htm; Kathryn Gregory, “Ansar al-Islam (Iraq, Islamists/Kurdish Separatists), Ansar al-Sunnah,” Council on Foreign Relations, November 5, 2008, https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/ansar-al-islam-iraq-islamistskurdish-separatists-ansar-al-sunnah; Thomas Joscelyn, “Ansar al Islam claims attacks against Iraqi military, police,” Long War Journal, June 20, 2014, https://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2014/06/_operating_in_iraq_w.php.

Al-Sumaidai reportedly joined ISIS in 2013 when remnants of AAI relocated to Syria. As Islamist and jihadist groups began to dominate the insurgency across Syria, in June 2014, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi—then the leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI)—unilaterally declared a caliphate spanning across eastern Syria and western Iraq.“Who was Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi?,” BBC News, October 28, 2019, https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-50200392. Al-Sumaidai quickly rose within the ranks of ISIS and eventually became a jihadist indoctrinator in Mosul, where he became close to Baghdadi. While in Mosul, al-Sumaidai reportedly preached at a religious center in Bab al-Jadid that educated ISIS preachers and judges. At some point following Baghdadi’s declaration of a caliphate in 2014, al-Sumaidai was appointed as ISIS’s chief judge in Nineveh, Iraq, specializing in murder or capital punishment cases.Hassan Hassan, “The Next Islamic State Caliph,” New Lines Magazine, February 16, 2022, https://newlinesmag.com/reportage/the-next-islamic-state-caliph/.

In 2016, while simultaneously serving as the “qadi al-dam”—a judge specializing in murder and capital punishment cases—al-Sumaidai became a member of ISIS’s executive body called the Delegated Committee. The Delegated Committee reportedly works together to rebuild the organization depending on security concerns.Feras Kilani, “A Caliph Without a Caliphate: The Biography of ISIS’s New Leader,” New Lines Magazine, April 15, 2021, https://newlinesmag.com/reportage/a-caliph-without-a-caliphate-the-biography-of-isiss-new-leader/; Hassan Hassan, “The Next Islamic State Caliph,” New Lines Magazine, February 16, 2022, https://newlinesmag.com/reportage/the-next-islamic-state-caliph/. In 2017, when ISIS was beginning to lose its territorial hold over Syria, al-Sumaidai reportedly left Syria for southern Turkey. In 2021, media sources alleged al-Sumaidai returned to Syria, reportedly to revitalize the movement and regain support for the group.Hassan Hassan, “The Next Islamic State Caliph,” New Lines Magazine, February 16, 2022, https://newlinesmag.com/reportage/the-next-islamic-state-caliph/.

After al-Baghdadi was killed in a U.S.-led drone strike in 2019, al-Sumaidai worked closely with Baghdadi’s successor, Amir Muhammad Sa’id Abdal-Rahman al-Mawla a.k.a. Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Quraishi, to reorganize the leadership of the organization.Feras Kilani, “A Caliph Without a Caliphate: The Biography of ISIS’s New Leader,” New Lines Magazine, April 15, 2021, https://newlinesmag.com/reportage/a-caliph-without-a-caliphate-the-biography-of-isiss-new-leader/; Hassan Hassan, “The Next Islamic State Caliph,” New Lines Magazine, February 16, 2022, https://newlinesmag.com/reportage/the-next-islamic-state-caliph/. After Quraishi’s death in early February 2022 in a U.S. airstrike, several analysts considered al-Sumaidai a top candidate to replace him because of his prominence in the organization, family lineage to the prophet Mohammad, and close relationship with the previous two caliphs.Hassan Hassan, “The Next Islamic State Caliph,” New Lines Magazine, February 16, 2022, https://newlinesmag.com/reportage/the-next-islamic-state-caliph/. On March 10, 2022, ISIS named Abu Hasan al-Hashimi al-Qurashi as its new leader.“Islamic state confirms death of its leader, names new chief,” Reuters, March 10, 2022, https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/islamic-state-confirms-death-its-leader-names-new-chief-2022-03-10/. ISIS did not release any further identifying details of Qurashi in its announcement.

A few months later on September 8, 2022, Turkish President Tayyip Erdoğan announced that Turkish security forces had arrested al-Sumaidai in a joint operation with the Istanbul police. Following the announcement, Turkish media stated that al-Sumaidai may indeed be Abu Hasan al-Hashimi al-Qurashi, the new leader of ISIS, but no further confirmation was made on the claim. Turkish officials reportedly followed al-Sumaidai’s connections in Syria and Istanbul for a long time before acquiring intelligence indicating al-Sumaidai would enter Turkey illegally.“Turkey Captures ‘Senior’ IS Leader Abu Zeyd: Erdogan,” Defense Post, September 8, 2022, https://www.thedefensepost.com/2022/09/08/turkey-captures-is-leader/.

Zacharia Najib is a Hamas official based in Istanbul. In November 2021, Najib and Hamas leader Saleh al-Arouri were accused of leading a Hamas cell in Turkey.Judah Ari Gross, “Shin Bet: Forces thwart major Hamas terror plans, nab more than 50 cell members,” Times of Israel, November 22, 2021, https://www.timesofisrael.com/shin-bet-forces-thwart-major-hamas-terror-plans-nab-dozens-of-members/.

Najib has been connected to Hamas as early as 1994, when he participated in the kidnapping and killing of Israeli soldier Nachson Wachsman.Raf Sanchez, “Exclusive: Hamas plots attacks on Israel from Turkey as Erdogan turns blind eye,” Telegraph (London), December 17, 2019, https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/12/17/hamas-plots-attacks-israel-turkey-erdogan-turns-blind-eye/. Several years later, in 2011, Najib was released from prison during the Gilad Shalit exchange. The exchange oversaw the release of 1,000 Palestinians from Israeli incarceration to secure the release of Shalit, a soldier for the Israel Defense Forces who was kidnapped by Hamas members in 2006.Judah Ari Gross, “Shin Bet: Forces thwart major Hamas terror plans, nab more than 50 cell members,” Times of Israel, November 22, 2021, https://www.timesofisrael.com/shin-bet-forces-thwart-major-hamas-terror-plans-nab-dozens-of-members/.

In February 2019, Najib recruited a militant from Jerusalem’s Shuafat refugee camp to carry out an assassination plot against three potential targets: Jerusalem’s Mayor Nir Barkat, Minister of Parliament Yehuda Glick, or Israel’s Police Chief Roni Alsheich. Najib not only offered the militant funds but provided him with weapons training in Turkey. Before the assailant could carry out the attack, he was arrested by Shin Bet, Israel’s internal security office.Raf Sanchez, “Exclusive: Hamas plots attacks on Israel from Turkey as Erdogan turns blind eye,” Telegraph (London), December 17, 2019, https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/12/17/hamas-plots-attacks-israel-turkey-erdogan-turns-blind-eye/.

Despite the foiled assassination plot, Najib continued to coordinate violent plots against Israeli targets. As of November 2021, Najib leads a Hamas cell in Turkey and gives directives from Istanbul.Judah Ari Gross, “Shin Bet: Forces thwart major Hamas terror plans, nab more than 50 cell members,” Times of Israel, November 22, 2021, https://www.timesofisrael.com/shin-bet-forces-thwart-major-hamas-terror-plans-nab-dozens-of-members/. According to Shin Bet, Najib and al-Arouri recruited a number of top operatives from Palestinian cities and towns across the West Bank, notably Jenin, Ramallah, and Hebron “to carry out terror attacks in a number of formats in the West Bank and Jerusalem, as well as the possibility of carrying out bombings in Israel.”Judah Ari Gross, “Shin Bet: Forces thwart major Hamas terror plans, nab more than 50 cell members,” Times of Israel, November 22, 2021, https://www.timesofisrael.com/shin-bet-forces-thwart-major-hamas-terror-plans-nab-dozens-of-members/. Najib, along with al-Arouri were reportedly involved in planning and coordinating a December 2021 attack in which a teenage Hamas militant attempted to carry out a shooting at the Efrat settlement in the West Bank. The assailant’s gun jammed before he was able to carry out the attack.“Report: Israeli military arrest more than 100 Hamas operatives in Hebron,” I24 News, https://www.i24news.tv/en/news/middle-east/palestinian-territories/1640104684-israeli-military-reportedly-arrested-more-than-100-hamas-operatives-in-hebron.

Hamas continues to wage a vengeful campaign against Israel, and on October 7, 2023, a day after the 50th anniversary of the Yom Kippur war, Hamas launched a massive attack on Israel that included hundreds of Hamas fighters ambushing more than a dozen Israeli communities and military bases within 15 miles of the Gaza border. Hamas militants also launched thousands of rockets reaching as far as Tel Aviv.Ammar Awad and Maayan Lubell, “Gunmen in homes, captives abducted leave Israelis in shock,” Reuters, October 7, 2023, https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/gunmen-homes-captives-abducted-gaza-leave-israelis-shock-2023-10-07/. At least 800 people in Israel were killed and more than 1,000 were wounded in the first three days. Israel retaliated with airstrikes on in Gaza and on October 8, issued an official declaration of war.Tia Goldenberg and Wafaa Shurafa, “Israel declares war, bombards Gaza and battles to dislodge Hamas fighters after surprise attack,” Associated Press, October 8, 2023, https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-gaza-hamas-rockets-airstrikes-tel-aviv-ca7903976387cfc1e1011ce9ea805a71.

Sources close to Hamas later told Reuters the group prepared for the operation for two years by constructing and training in mock settlements in Gaza.Samia Nakhoul and Jonathan Saul, “How Israel was duped as Hamas planned devastating assault,” Reuters, October 8, 2023, https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/how-israel-was-duped-hamas-planned-devastating-assault-2023-10-08/. The Wall Street Journal reported several senior Hamas and Hezbollah sources confirmed the participation of officials from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in planning the attack in meetings in Beirut in August 2023. According to those officials, the IRGC had provided a greenlight for the attack in September.Ammar Awad and Maayan Lubell, “Gunmen in homes, captives abducted leave Israelis in shock,” Reuters, October 7, 2023, https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/gunmen-homes-captives-abducted-gaza-leave-israelis-shock-2023-10-07/; Samia Nakhoul and Jonathan Saul, “How Israel was duped as Hamas planned devastating assault,” Reuters, October 8, 2023, https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/how-israel-was-duped-hamas-planned-devastating-assault-2023-10-08/; Hadas Gold, Abeer Salman, Kareem Khadder, Paul P. Murphy, Allegra Goodwin, Benjamin Brown, and Sophie Tanno, “Festivalgoers, children, soldiers: What we know about the people captured by Hamas,” CNN, October 9, 2023, https://www.cnn.com/2023/10/08/europe/israel-hostages-hamas-what-we-know-intl/index.html; Summer Said, Benoit Faucon, and Stephen Kalin, “Iran Helped Plot Attack on Israel Over Several Weeks,” Wall Street Journal, October 8, 2023, https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/iran-israel-hamas-strike-planning-bbe07b25.

Tommy Robinson is the former leader of anti-immigration group, the English Defence League (EDL), which he founded in 2009.Matt Rowland Hill, “Who is the real Tommy Robinson,” The Telegraph, October 18, 2013, https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/10389954/Who-is-the-real-Tommy-Robinson.html. The EDL believes that British society is under attack by Muslim extremists.“Far-right extremism: Who are the EDL?” Channel 4 News, May 28, 2013, https://www.channel4.com/news/edl-far-right-extremism-woolwich-lee-rigby. Since 2009, the group has held what British media has routinely referred to as “aggressive rallies” across England. Robinson has repeatedly targeted Muslims in online posts on his social media accounts and during rallies and demonstrations.Matthew Taylor, “English Defence League: Inside the violent world of Britain's new far right,” Guardian, May 28, 2010, https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2010/may/28/english-defence-league-guardian-investigation.

Robinson grew up in Luton, Bedfordshire, where he later took on an apprenticeship as an aircraft engineer at Luton Airport. However, in 2005, Robinson got into a drunken brawl with an off-duty cop, leading to a one-year prison sentence. After his release, Robinson became interested in politics, claiming the police did little to combat the threat of Islamism in Luton. At the time, the extremist al-Muhajiroun network had a base in Luton. In March 2009, al-Muhajiroun supporters disrupted a homecoming parade of Royal Anglian Regiment Soldiers returning from Afghanistan. Robinson and his friends organized a counter demonstration, leading to small clashes and the eventual founding of the EDL.Dominic Casciani, “Tommy Robinson: The rancour, rhetoric and riches of brand Tommy,” BBC News, July 11, 2019, https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-48942411. The far-right group steadily held demonstrations, eventually gathering enough support by 2011 to prompt police to close Luton town center for a day to accommodate an EDL “homecoming” protest.Dominic Casciani, “Tommy Robinson: The rancour, rhetoric and riches of brand Tommy,” BBC News, July 11, 2019, https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-48942411.

In July 2011, Robinson was arrested and handed a 12-month community rehabilitation order after he was convicted of leading a brawl involving over 100 football fans.Dominic Casciani, “Tommy Robinson: The rancour, rhetoric and riches of brand Tommy,” BBC News, July 11, 2019, https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-48942411; “EDL founder Stephen Lennon guilty over football brawl,” BBC News, July 25, 2011, https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-suffolk-14278957. In January 2013, Robinson was once again arrested in the U.K. for illegally using someone else’s passport to enter the United States and then using his own passport to return to the United Kingdom. Robinson was sentenced to 10 months imprisonment after he admitted to possession of a false identity document with improper intention.“EDL leader Stephen Lennon jailed for false passport offence,” BBC News, January 7, 2013, https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-20935502. According to media sources, Robinson had previously been refused entry into the United States and used his friend’s passport to get into the country.Brian Whelan, “EDL leader ‘Stephen Lennon’ jailed for 10 months,” Channel 4 News, January 7, 2013, https://www.channel4.com/news/edl-leader-stephen-lennon-jailed-for-10-months. After Robinson’s release from prison, he began questioning if the EDL was able to properly combat Islamist extremists, leading to his departure from the organization in October 2013.Dominic Casciani, “Tommy Robinson: The rancour, rhetoric and riches of brand Tommy,” BBC News, July 11, 2019, https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-48942411. Although Robinson allegedly changed his viewpoint—even assisting a Muslim-led anti-extremism think tank at one point—Robinson was jailed again for 18 months on January 23, 2014 for mortgage fraud.“Tommy Robinson, former EDL leader, jailed for fraud,” BBC News, January 23, 2014, https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-25862838.

Following his release, Robinson attempted to set up a British wing of Pegida (Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamization of the Occident), Germany’s far-right populist party. In January 2016, he spoke in Denmark claiming a “military invasion” of Europe—due to hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees seeking asylum in Europe as they fled ISIS in their home country.Dominic Casciani, “Tommy Robinson: The rancour, rhetoric and riches of brand Tommy,” BBC News, July 11, 2019, https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-48942411.

Despite leaving the EDL, Robinson remained politically active in the far-right scene.Jon Sharman, “Tommy Robinson permanently banned from Twitter,” Independent, March 28, 2018, https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/tommy-robinson-twitter-ban-permanent-english-defence-league-founder-edl-hateful-conduct-a8278136.html. In 2017, Robinson was named the U.K. correspondent at Rebel Media, a Canadian website owned by conservative media personality, Ezra Levant.Dominic Casciani, “Tommy Robinson: The rancour, rhetoric and riches of brand Tommy,” BBC News, July 11, 2019, https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-48942411. Robinson eventually left Rebel Media, but took to creating films and self-publishing a book called Muhammad’s Koran: Why Muslims Kill for Islam. Robinson’s support base dramatically grew, with his Facebook page garnering over one million followers at one point.Dominic Casciani, “Tommy Robinson: The rancour, rhetoric and riches of brand Tommy,” BBC News, July 11, 2019, https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-48942411.

In early June 2017, it was alleged that Robinson was in contact with the Finsbury Park attacker, Darren Osbourne. Robinson allegedly told Osbourne that it was, “now left to us, the ordinary people of the United Kingdom, to stand up to hate, to unite and in one voice say, no more.” On June 19, 2017, Osbourne drove his car into a group of people outside the Finsbury Park Mosque shortly after, killing an elderly man and injuring nine others.Lizzie Dearden, “Finsbury Park terror suspect Darren Osborne read messages from Tommy Robinson days before attack, court hears,” Independent, January 23, 2018, https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/tommy-robinson-darren-osborne-messages-finsbury-park-attack-mosque-van-latest-court-trial-muslims-terror-a8174086.html; “Finsbury Park attack: Theresa May condemns 'sickening' terror attack,” BBC News, June 19, 2017, https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-london-40322960.

In May 2017, Robinson was handed an 18-month suspended sentence for committing contempt of court over a gang rape case heard at Canterbury Crown Court. The suspended sentence was on the condition that he did not commit further offenses. However, On May 25, 2018, Robinson was arrested outside of Leeds Combined Courts for breaching the peace outside a court during an ongoing sexual grooming trial.Lizzie Dearden, “Tommy Robinson case: Why EDL founder could be jailed again for contempt of court,” Independent, August 1, 2018, https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/tommy-robinson-prison-jailed-why-contempt-court-grooming-gangs-muslim-protest-a8472566.html; Dominic Casciani, “Tommy Robinson: The rancour, rhetoric and riches of brand Tommy,” BBC News, July 11, 2019, https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-48942411. On July 11, 2019, Robinson was found guilty of contempt of court and was given a nine-month prison sentence. However, he only served nine weeks of his sentence and was released on September 13, 2019.Mattha Busby, “Tommy Robinson released from jail after nine weeks,” Guardian, September 13, 2019, https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2019/sep/13/tommy-robinson-released-jail; Ben Quinn, “Tommy Robinson given nine-month jail sentence for contempt of court,” Guardian, July 11, 2019, https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2019/jul/11/tommy-robinson-given-nine-month-jail-term-for-contempt-of-court.

Despite Robinson’s ongoing court proceedings, he was appointed as an adviser to the right-wing U.K. Independence Party (UKIP) in November 2018. The decision was criticized by former UKIP leader Nigel Farage who claimed, “[the decision] goes against all the things I did as leader to say we will talk about immigration, we will talk about the extreme forms of Islam. But, we will do it as a non-racist, non-sectarian party. This blows a hole in all of that.”Peter Stubley, “Nigel Farage says UKIP’s appointment of Tommy Robinson is dragging us in a shameful direction,” Independent, November 23, 2018, https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/nigel-farage-tommy-robinson-ukip-appointed-gerard-batten-grooming-gangs-islam-prison-reform-a8647921.html; James Masters, “Anti-Islam activist Tommy Robinson appointed as UKIP adviser,” CNN, November 23, 2018, https://www.cnn.com/2018/11/23/uk/tommy-robinson-ukip-gbr-intl/index.html.

Robinson was permanently banned from Twitter on March 28, 2018, due to his promotion of violence and incitement of harm towards others.Jon Sharman, “Tommy Robinson permanently banned from Twitter,” Independent, March 28, 2018, https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/tommy-robinson-twitter-ban-permanent-english-defence-league-founder-edl-hateful-conduct-a8278136.html. Facebook and Instagram followed suit, and on February 26, 2019, Robinson was banned from their platforms for repeatedly breaking policies on hate speech.Alex Hern and Jim Waterson, “Tommy Robinson banned from Facebook and Instagram,” Guardian, February 26, 2019, https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2019/feb/26/tommy-robinson-banned-from-facebook-and-instagram. On November 5, 2023, X, formerly known as Twitter, reinstated Robinson’s account. His account had over 441,000 followers as of February 2024.James Titcomb, “Elon Musk reinstates Katie Hopkins and Tommy Robinson to Twitter,” Telegraph (London), November 6, 2023, https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2023/11/06/elon-musk-reinstates-katie-hopkins-tommy-robinson-twitter; “Tommy Robinson,” Twitter account, accessed February 28, 2024, https://twitter.com/TRobinsonNewEra.

Robinson was arrested in London’s Hyde Park on November 1, 2020, for violating COVID-19 regulations. Robinson had informed his followers he was going to hold an event—at a time when gatherings of more than six people were banned in England to contain the spread of COVID-19.Vincent Wood, “Tommy Robinson arrested under coronavirus regulations in London’s Hyde Park,” Independent, November 1, 2020, https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/tommy-robinson-arrest-video-coronavirus-hyde-park-london-speakers-corner-b1511393.html. As of 2021, the EDL website was shut down and its various social media accounts suspended by digital platforms. On July 22, 2021, Robinson was sentenced to pay £100,000 in libel damages to a Syrian schoolboy for having claimed on social media that the boy had “violently attacked young English girls in his school.”“Tommy Robinson loses Jamal Hijazi libel case,” BBC News, July 22, 2021, https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-leeds-57930901.

On November 26, 2023, more than 20 officers arrested Robinson near the Royal Courts of Justice in London, where a march against antisemitism was set to begin. The organizers of the march, reportedly the biggest demonstration against antisemitism in the United Kingdom since 1936, had asked Robinson and his supporters to stay away from the event. He was charged the following day with “failing to comply with a section 35 direction excluding a person from an area” and was released on bail. Matthew Weaver, “Tommy Robinson charged over refusal to leave march against antisemitism,” Guardian (London), November 27, 2023, https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/nov/27/tommy-robinson-charged-over-refusal-to-leave-march-against-antisemtism. As part of his bail, Robinson is banned from organizing or attending protests and is not allowed to enter London within the M25, also known as the London Orbital Motorway, a major road that encircles most of the capital city. Robinson denied the criminal charge during a court appearance on January 22, 2024. A trial date has been set for April 22, 2024.Amy-Clare Martin, “Tommy Robinson denies refusing to leave antisemitism march,” Independent (London), January 22, 2024, https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/tommy-robinson-court-antisemitism-march-b2482573.html.

Stefan Molyneux is an Irish-Canadian, far-right nationalist, antisemite, and leader in the alt-right movement. He promotes scientific racism, which is the belief that there is empirical evidence suggesting the superiority of white people over non-white individuals.Kevin Roose, “The Making of a YouTube radical,” New York Times, June 8, 2019, https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/06/08/technology/youtube-radical.html. Molyneux, who is the host of Freedomain Radio, which is billed as the “largest philosophy conversation in the world,” is also an avid promoter of eugenics, antisemitism, and misogyny.“Stefan Molyneux,” Southern Poverty Law Center, https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/extremist-files/individual/stefan-molyneux; Sam Levin, “Fired Google memo writer gives first big interviews to rightwing YouTubers,” Guardian, August 9, 2017, https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/aug/09/james-damore-google-memo-youtube-interviews.

Molyneux has been banned from PayPal, Mailchimp, YouTube, Twitter, and SoundCloud for violating hate speech policies.Julia Alexander, “YouTube bans Stefan Molyneux, David Duke, Richard Spencer, and more for hate speech,” The Verge, July 29, 2020, https://www.theverge.com/2020/6/29/21307303/youtube-bans-molyneux-duke-richard-spencer-conduct-hate-speech. In addition to believing and promoting that the Holocaust never happened, Molyneux uses his platform to glorify the South African Apartheid and the transatlantic slave trade as well as to demonize civil rights leaders and activists such as Martin Luther King, Jr. Indeed, he has repeatedly said that non-white human beings were racially and genetically inferior to white individuals.Gavin Evans, “The unwelcome revival of ‘race science’,” Guardian, March 2, 2018, https://www.theguardian.com/news/2018/mar/02/the-unwelcome-revival-of-race-science.

Molyneux began broadcasting his opinions online via a website called Freedomain Radio in 2004, and for the first ten years, the website focused on disseminating his beliefs on anarcho-capitalist ideology, atheism, anti-statism, and anti-feminism.“STEFAN MOLYNEUX,” Southern Poverty Law Center, https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/extremist-files/individual/stefan-molyneux. As Molyneux gained an audience, he began to appear on a number of news channels, such as Max Keiser’s “On the Edge Show” on Iran’s Press TV in 2010, as well as appearing as a regular on libertarian Adam Kokesh’s “Adam vs. the Man” show on Russia Today from 2011 to 2012.“STEFAN MOLYNEUX,” Southern Poverty Law Center, https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/extremist-files/individual/stefan-molyneux.

Molyneux has been able to use social media and online platforms to spread his rhetoric.Jared Holt, “Stefan Molyneux Thinks New Star Wars Film Is About The Decline Of White People,” Right Wing Watch, December 19, 2017, https://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/stefan-molyneux-thinks-new-star-wars-film-is-about-the-decline-of-white-people/. Before being banned from most social media platforms, Molyneux had a considerable viewership and more than 900,000 subscribers on YouTube alone.Will Sommer, “YouTube Boots White Supremacist Richard Spencer, Far-Right Personality Stefan Molyneux for Spewing Hate,” Daily Beast, June 29, 2020, https://www.thedailybeast.com/youtube-boots-white-supremacist-richard-spencer-far-right-personality-stefan-molyneux-for-spewing-hate?ref=scroll. On June 29, 2020, YouTube terminated Molyneux’s account for violating the platform’s hate speech policies.Matt Perez, “YouTube Bans White Supremacists Stefan Molyneux, Richard Spencer, David Duke,” Forbes, June 29, 2020, https://www.forbes.com/sites/mattperez/2020/06/29/youtube-bans-white-supremacists-stefan-molyneux-richard-spencer-david-duke/?sh=7b4f96a25ff1; Josephine Harvey, “YouTube Bans White Supremacists Richard Spencer, David Duke And Stefan Molyneux,” Huffington Post, June 29, 2020, https://www.huffpost.com/entry/youtube-bans-richard-spencer-david-duke_n_5efa7fdec5b6acab2845e71f. However, Molyneux still maintains accounts on Facebook and Instagram.“Stefan Molyneux,” Instagram, https://www.instagram.com/stefan.molyneux/?hl=en; “Stefan Molyneux,” Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/stefan.molyneux.

Simon Lindberg is the Swedish leader of the Nordic Resistance Movement (NRM). The NRM subscribes to a nationalist socialist, or neo-Nazi, ideology that is decidedly antisemitic, anti-gay, anti-immigrant, pro-white, and pro-Hitler. The NRM has held numerous anti-immigration rallies, and has hung signs throughout Sweden, Finland, and Norway reading “Refugees Are Not Welcome.”Haakon Forwald, “– Et seiersår for Den nordiske motstandsbevegelsen!,” Friehtskamp, January 8, 2017, https://www.frihetskamp.net/et-seiersar-for-den-nordiskemotstandsbevegelsen/; “Så våldsamma är nazisterna i Nordiska motståndsrörelsen,” Expo Idag, December 9, 2016, http://expo.se/2016/sa-valdsamma-ar-nazisterna-i-nordiskamotstandsrorelsen_7198.html; David Charter and Isaak Bowers, “Neo-Nazis on the march in Sweden,” The Times, December 12, 2016, https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/world/dcnazi-3dwxnps2g. Since 2015, NRM’s branch in Sweden (NRM-Sweden) has gained a massive following. The group registered as a political party in July 2015 and has held rallies garnering crowds with as many as 600 people.“Registrerade partibeteckningar,” Valmyndigheten, accessed May 26, 2017, http://www.val.se/det_svenska_valsystemet/partier/lista_registrerade_partibeteckningar/kontaktuppgifter.html; “Our Path: New Politics for a New Time,” Nordic Resistance Movement, 2015, https://www.frihetskamp.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Our-Path.pdf; David Charter and Isaak Bowers, “Neo-Nazis on the march in Sweden,” Times (London), December 12, 2016, https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/world/dcnazi-3dwxnps2g; “Så våldsamma är nazisterna i Nordiska motståndsrörelsen,” Expo Idag, December 9, 2016, http://expo.se/2016/sa-valdsamma-ar-nazisterna-i-nordiska-motstandsrorelsen_7198.html; Heba Habib, “Neo-Nazi rally in Sweden leads to injuries, arrests,” Washington Post, September 30, 2017, https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/neo-nazi-rally-in-sweden-ends-in-clashes-between-police-andcounterprotesters/2017/09/30/711bb76e-a5ff-11e7-b573-8ec86cdfe1ed_story.html?utm_term=.5c576842f067.

NRM members are known to have carried out attacks against the LGBTQI+ community, Muslim asylum seekers, and political opponents, using smoking flares, tear gas, knives, and guns. Since the 1980s, NRM members have killed at least three people. In a 2016 interview with NRM-Sweden, Lindberg said that he joined the group because its members were “strong in the streets, they dare to fight back the scum.” Lindberg has previously used social media platforms to spread conspiracy theories and hate propaganda and has exploited the coronavirus pandemic to his own advantage, writing on the NRM’s official website, “Covid-19 might be precisely what we need in order to bring about a real national uprising and a strengthening of revolutionary political forces.”Michael Colborn, “As world struggles to stop deaths, far right celebrates COVID-19,” Al Jazeera, March 26, 2020, https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2020/3/26/as-world-struggles-to-stop-deaths-far-right-celebrates-covid-19.

Since the start of 2015, NRM-Sweden has grown more than one-third in size by advocating against Sweden’s open-door policy to Muslim asylum seekers.“Registrerade partibeteckningar,” Valmyndigheten, accessed May 26, 2017, http://www.val.se/det_svenska_valsystemet/partier/lista_registrerade_partibeteckningar/kontaktuppgifter.html; “Our Path: New Politics for a New Time,” Nordic Resistance Movement, 2015, https://www.frihetskamp.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Our-Path.pdf; David Charter and Isaak Bowers, “Neo-Nazis on the march in Sweden,” The Times, December 12, 2016, https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/world/dcnazi-3dwxnps2g; “Så våldsamma är nazisterna i Nordiska motståndsrörelsen,” Expo Idag, December 9, 2016, http://expo.se/2016/sa-valdsamma-ar-nazisterna-i-nordiska-motstandsrorelsen_7198.html; Heba Habib, “Neo-Nazi rally in Sweden leads to injuries, arrests,” Washington Post, September 30, 2017, https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/neo-nazi-rally-in-sweden-ends-in-clashes-between-police-andcounterprotesters/2017/09/30/711bb76e-a5ff-11e7-b573-8ec86cdfe1ed_story.html?utm_term=.5c576842f067. Many of the NRM’s co-founders and early members came from the now-defunct White Aryan Resistance (Vitt Ariskt Motstand, or VAM) and its offshoot National Youth (Nationell Ungdom). The VAM, a network of Swedish neo-Nazis formed in the early 1990s, was notorious for carrying out attacks against immigrants and gay people and for funding its violence through bank robberies. The group splintered into several white-power groups in or around 1995, among them National Youth, which would go on to serve as the NRM’s youth movement.Stieg Larsson, “A Study on Racially Motivated Crime and Violence in Sweden,” The Expo Foundation, September 2002, 34, http://expo.se/www/download/final_sweden_racialviolence_raxen3.pdf.

Lindberg has been the leader of NRM since September 2015. Under Lindberg’s leadership, the NRM has vastly expanded its propaganda network and created 19 additional Swedish-language podcasts and web TV channels.Bulent Kenes, “NRM: a Nordic neo-Nazi organisation with aims of establishing totalitarian rule across Scandinavia,” European Center for Populism Studies, April 28, 2021, https://www.populismstudies.org/nmr-a-nordic-neo-nazi-organization-with-aims-of-establishing-totalitarian-rule-across-scandinavia/. In addition, there are between 300,000 and 400,000 unique visitors per month on the NRM’s website.“NMR: A Nordic neo-Nazi organization with aims of establishing totalitarian rule across Scandinavia,” European Center for Populism Studies, April 28, 2021, https://www.populismstudies.org/nmr-a-nordic-neo-nazi-organization-with-aims-of-establishing-totalitarian-rule-across-scandinavia/.

After the deadly 2017 Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, Lindberg congratulated the perpetrators and urged the U.S. far right to build more coordinated networks resembling the transnational connections in Europe.Isaac Stanley-Becker, James McAuley and Rick Noack, “Hesitant reactions to Charlottesville spotlights divisions within Europe’s far-right,” Washington Post, August 15, 2017, https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/hesitant-reaction-to-charlottesville-spotlights-divisions-within-europes-far-right/2017/08/15/517fba4e-812a-11e7-9e7a-20fa8d7a0db6_story.html. On September 30, 2017, Lindberg organized a far-right demonstration in Gothenburg, Sweden. The march was originally intended to pass by a synagogue, in an act against Yom Kippur, the Jewish holy day. A Swedish court intervened prior to the demonstration and shortened the march route so that it would not pass near the synagogue. NRM members clashed with police when they were unable to venture out of the court-ordered route. At least 35 people, including Lindberg, were arrested.Heba Habib, “Neo-Nazi rally in Sweden leads to injuries, arrests,” Washington Post, September 30, 2017, https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/neo-nazi-rally-in-sweden-ends-in-clashes-between-police-and-counterprotesters/2017/09/30/711bb76e-a5ff-11e7-b573-8ec86cdfe1ed_story.html.

In January 2018, a Swedish court convicted Lindberg of “contempt for groups based on their race, skin color, national or ethnic origin by shouting ‘Sieg Heil’ while raising his right arm upwards” during a November 2016 rally. The court initially recommended one month in prison but reduced the sentence to an 800 krona ($98) fine because the NRM had a legal permit for the rally.“Sweden convicts neo-Nazi leader of inciting hatred at rally,” Agence France Presse, January 2, 2018, https://www.timesofisrael.com/sweden-convicts-neo-nazi-leader-of-inciting-hatred-at-rally/.

In early 2023, media sources announced that Lindberg was to appear as the guest of honor at “Blood Day,” an event held by Devenir Europeo, a neo-Nazi organization that is headquartered in Barcelona. The “Blood Day” event took place in Madrid on February 4, 2023, and according to media reports, Lindberg was expected to speak on the national socialist struggle in the Nordic countries.Danilo Albin, “Uno de los principales dirigentes neonazis de Europa encabezará un acto semiclandestino en Madrid,” Público, February 1, 2023, https://www.publico.es/politica/principales-dirigentes-neonazis-europa-encabezara-acto-semiclandestino-madrid.html; Jacobo Garcia,” Dentro de una reunión neonazi en Madrid: “Somos pocos aquí, pero millones de españoles deberían agitar las calles,” El Pais, February 5, 2023, https://elpais.com/espana/madrid/2023-02-06/dentro-de-una-reunion-neonazi-en-madrid-somos-pocos-aqui-pero-millones-de-espanoles-deberian-agitar-las-calles.html.