Hans-Jakob Schindler is director of the NGO Counter Extremism Project and has been investigating how extremist and terrorist organizations finance themselves for more than 25 years. He knows the pattern: "On the one hand, extremist groups try to dominate public discourse with their actions. On the other hand, it's always about mobilizing supporters and generating funds,“ says Schindler. It's important to understand that even small contributions of a few hundred francs or euros can make a big difference. ”Extremist groups specialize in achieving a big impact with little money."

Counter Extremism Project (CEP) Senior Director Dr. Hans-Jakob Schindler quoted regarding the deteriorating situation in Mali. 

CEP Senior Director Dr. Hans-Jakob Schindler interviewed following the arrest of a right-wing extremist in Germany who allegedly planned to kill German politicians on the dark net. 

"The Active Clubs were originally founded by American neo-Nazi activist Robert Rundo in response to the arrests of members of his former group 'Rise Above Movement'," explains Alexander Ritzmann, a specialist in these movements for the Counter Extremism Project.

Weakened by a French military intervention in 2013 in Mali, Ag Ghaly bounced back in 2017 by uniting the Ansar Dine, Katiba Macina and Al-Mourabitoun groups to form JNIM.

His nickname is "the strategist", said Hans-Jakob Schindler, director of the think tank Counter-Extremism Project (CEP). A highly experienced organiser, his long contacts with Al-Qaeda and the "successes" of the JNIM have made him a respected emir, Schindler added.

Left-wing extremist groups are calling for massive protests in Giessen against the founding of an AfD youth organization. “The left-wing extremist milieu has enormous mobilization potential,” says security expert Hans-Jakob Schindler, [CEP Senior Director].

The Active Clubs network has been notable for the speed with which it has grown and spread. Alexander Ritzmann, a researcher for the Counter Extremism Project and an adviser to the European Commission’s Radicalisation Awareness Network, said he had “never seen a network in right-wing extremism grow so fast”.

Dr. Hans-Jakob Schindler, renowned terrorism expert and Senior Director of the Counter Extremism Project, analyzed the current threat posed by international terrorism. In his keynote speech, he referred to nine attempted attacks in the recent past and identified three key challenges: First, the geopolitical situation, marked by conflicts such as those in Ukraine and the Middle East, as well as disinformation campaigns. Secondly, technological developments, with terrorists increasingly resorting to modern technologies and artificial intelligence – for example, to plan attacks or manufacture explosive devices. Thirdly, the legal situation, which, according to Schindler, needs to be fundamentally overhauled in order to effectively counter the current threats.

Since 2020, Active Clubs have expanded rapidly across the United States, Canada and Europe, including the U.K., France, Sweden, and Finland. Precise numbers are hard to verify, but the clubs appear to be spreading, according to The Counter Extremism Project, the Anti-Defamation League, the Southern Poverty Law Center, and my own research.