Fact:
On April 3, 2017, the day Vladimir Putin was due to visit the city, a suicide bombing was carried out in the St. Petersburg metro, killing 15 people and injuring 64. An al-Qaeda affiliate, Imam Shamil Battalion, claimed responsibility.
Eye on Extremism: April 10, 2025
Top Stories
Washington Post: Dozens sue Iran and North Korea, saying they sponsored terrorists
The 48 plaintiffs cite reports from U.S. government agencies that say Iran and North Korea have long partnered on efforts to arm and train several designated terrorist organizations that carried out seven separate attacks on Army personnel, military contractors and U.S. civilians — starting with a deadly rocket barrage at an Iraqi air base in 2019 and ending with the Oct. 7, 2023, hostage-taking massacre in Israel. The strikes, which also targeted Americans in Kenya and Syria, were orchestrated by al-Qaeda, Hamas, Hezbollah and other proxies for Iran and North Korea that aim to drive the United States out of Middle Eastern affairs, according to the lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.
A Brooklyn woman was sentenced to 19 years in federal prison for providing support to ISIS, obstructing justice, and attempting to flee the US to avoid sentencing, the US Department of Justice announced on Wednesday. Sinmya Amera Ceasar, also known as Umm Nutella, a US citizen, was initially arrested in 2016 as she attempted to leave the country through John F. Kennedy International Airport to join ISIS. She had used multiple social media accounts to spread ISIS propaganda, recruit others in the US to travel abroad and join the terror group, and even expressed her own desire to become a martyr, the statement said.
CEP Mentions
More ominously, the UN team also said that al-Qaeda had “established new training camps” in multiple Afghan provinces and had established “safe houses” in major cities such as Kabul. Fitton-Brown, the former coordinator of U.N. sanctions on the Taliban, told Just the News that “the U.S. is still stuck on this idea that the Taliban can be a counterterrorism partner” but that “there is a moral and practical hazard of trying to do counterterrorism work with the Taliban.” Fitton-Brown, who is now senior advisor to the Counter Extremism Project, added that “if you go to the point of embracing allies of al-Qaeda to fight ISIS-K… it’s like treating a cold with a shot of malaria.”
WTOP: The Hunt: Russian agents suspected of involvement in a terror attack in Germany
A wide-ranging investigation has been opened into a terror attack that took place on May 31, 2024, in Mannheim, Germany. Anecdotal evidence suggests the attacker may have had contact with operatives inside Russia. In this week’s episode of “The Hunt with WTOP National Security Correspondent J.J. Green,” Dr. Hans-Jakob Schindler, senior director at the Counter Extremism Project, says other terror events may be looked into as well.
BR24: Extremism allegations: Bavaria wants to deport imam
Imam Abdullah S. has not committed any crimes to date. In the YouTube video, he also denies ever having advocated violence. However, Hans-Jakob Schindler of the research organization "Counter Extremism Project" expresses understanding for the Free State's harsh approach: The free democratic basic order could also be endangered "by targeted actions without direct calls for violence against the free democratic basic order."
United States
Far-right activist Laura Loomer has spoken with Trump administration officials about utilizing her opposition research firm to assist in “vetting operations” of White House personnel – a task she recently undertook to recommend President Donald Trump fire several National Security Council officials. Loomer, a conspiracy theorist and close Trump ally, launched her research firm, Loomered Strategies, just last month, offering opposition investigation, “executive level vetting” and rapid response.
The Guardian: Elon Musk boosting influencer who platforms far-right Putin allies
An online influencer whom Elon Musk frequently boosts on X has been conducting in-person interviews with Russian figures and key allies of Vladimir Putin. Musk, Donald Trump’s billionaire ally and the owner of X, has consistently reposted and engaged with Mario Nawfal, a Dubai-based Australian influencer who with Musk has given a platform to far-right figures and movements around the world. Musk shares Nawfal’s posts almost daily, including Nawfal’s promotion and praise of Tesla, Doge and Musk himself. In the two-week span between 23 March and 3 April alone, Musk reposted or quote-tweeted Nawfal 28 times, including posts based on misinformation.
When Tulsi Gabbard, the director of national intelligence, went looking for someone to head the National Counterterrorism Center, she landed on Joe Kent, a former Green Beret, past CIA officer, and twice-failed MAGA congressional candidate in Washington state, who, as the Associated Press reported, “stands out for the breadth of his ties to a deep-seated extremist fringe.” During his first campaign in 2022, Kent consulted with white nationalist Nick Fuentes on social-media strategy. He also had a member of the Proud Boys on his campaign staff, and he embraced as a supporter and ally Joey Gibson, the leader of Patriot Prayer, a Christian nationalist group.
Thousands of newly obtained documents show that Clearview AI’s founders always intended to target immigrants and the political left. Now their digital dragnet is in the hands of the Trump administration.
The Middlebury Campus: Federal scrutiny over antisemitism complaints renewed at Middlebury
Middlebury College was one of 60 colleges and universities that received a letter from the Trump administration on Monday, March 10 informing the school that prior allegations of antisemitism on campus would be reinvestigated. The renewed scrutiny on the institution’s treatment of Jewish students comes after a Title VI investigation was opened over a year ago following a complaint filed with the Office of Civil Rights in the Department of Education. The department threatened to carry out “potential enforcement actions if [universities] do not fulfill their obligations under Title VI,” citing the need to guarantee Jewish students equal access to campus buildings and educational opportunities, according to a press release from Department of Education Secretary Linda McMahon last month.
The University of Minnesota is one of over 50 schools under investigation as part of an executive order President Donald Trump signed in January that seeks to “investigate and punish anti-Jewish racism in leftist, anti-American colleges and universities.” University of Minnesota President Rebecca Cunningham sent a letter Monday to faculty, students and staff underscoring her commitment to preventing antisemitism.
Jewish News Syndicate: Tennessee passes bill prohibiting antisemitic bias in state schools
The Tennessee General Assembly passed a bill in the state House and Senate on Monday addressing and prohibiting antisemitic discrimination in the state’s public schools, colleges and universities, the Combat Antisemitism Movement announced. The CAM-supported bill—sponsored by Rusty Grills, a Republican state representative, and Paul Rose, a Republican state senator—passed by 79-11 and 29-1 margins in the state House and Senate, respectively. It now heads to Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee for further action.
Argentina
Iran International: Argentina seeks Khamenei's arrest over Buenos Aires bombing
An Argentine prosecutor has requested the arrest of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in connection with the 1994 bombing of a Jewish community center in Buenos Aires that killed 85 people. Prosecutor Sebastián Basso, who replaced the late Alberto Nisman, asked federal judge Daniel Rafecas to issue national and international arrest warrants for Khamenei, according to Argentine paper Clarin.
France
The Telegraph: Macron accused of giving Hamas ‘prize for terrorism’
Israel accused Emmanuel Macron of giving Hamas a “prize for terrorism” after he said France was ready to formally recognise Palestine as a state. In a major foreign policy shift, the French president said Paris could recognise a Palestinian state as early as June, at a UN conference in New York. If this took place France would become the first permanent member of the UN Security Council to do so, potentially creating a rift with Israel ally Donald Trump. During a two-day trip to Egypt, Mr Macron said recognition would encourage several countries in the Middle East that do not recognise Israel to do so.
Reuters: Man, 76, convicted after threatening judge who barred France's Le Pen
A 76-year-old Frenchman was found guilty on Wednesday of threatening a judge who barred French far-right leader Marine Le Pen from running for president in 2027, and he was handed an eight-month suspended sentence. The retiree, who had no previous criminal record, was also given a 3,000-euro ($3,305) fine, said the prosecutor's office in Bobigny, northeast of Paris.
RFI: Anti-racism group files complaint over race hate flyers at Le Pen rally in Paris
A French anti-racism group has filed a legal complaint against the far-right fringe organisation Luminis Paris, following the circulation of flyers near a demonstration held for Le Pen’s National Rally party in Paris. The flyers, handed out on Sunday close to the political meeting, featured an image of a bloodied knife alongside the call to action: "French people, fight back”. One line read: "French people, today the foreigners come into our arms to slit the throats of your sons and wives".
The Local: France's far-right party chief wins court fight over book advertising
A court on Wednesday ruled against the company that manages train station advertising in France for refusing to accept posters for the book of far-right opposition leader Jordan Bardella. "What I'm looking for" (Ce que je cherche) by Bardella, 29, sold an estimated 140,000 copies across France according to an annual ranking from Express magazine.
Germany
Reuters: Germany's Merz unveils coalition deal to spur growth, tackle migration
With the AfD breathing down its neck, the coalition signalled a tougher stance on migration, planning to turn away asylum seekers at Germany's borders and scrap fast-tracked naturalisation, among other measures. It also announced a voluntary military service and the creation of a national security council, as well as moves to speed up defence procurement and backing Ukraine's bid to join the NATO alliance. The tougher stance on migration explicitly moves Germany away from a more liberal policy under Merz's conservative predecessor Angela Merkel during the 2015 European migrant crisis. The CDU is set to take charge of economy and foreign ministries as well as the chancellery, while the SPD would run finance and defence, according to a document seen by Reuters.
Euro News: Editor of German far-right outlet receives suspended sentence in freedom of speech case
David Bendels, editor-in-chief of the Alternative for Germany (AfD)-affiliated Deutschland Kurier, has been sentenced to a seven-month suspended prison sentence for spreading a fake meme featuring German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser on social networks. Bendels must also apologise in writing to Nancy Faeser. Der Spiegel reported that the photo in question was posted by Deutschland-Kurier's David Bendels on the outlet's X account (formerly known as Twitter) at the end of February.
The European Conservative: New German Government Pledges to Clamp Down on ‘Right-Wing Extremism’
Germany’s next chancellor, Friedrich Merz promised to “move” the country “forward again,” as he presented his incoming coalition government’s programme on Wednesday, April 9th—but a closer look at his plans suggest that little will change. The centre-right CDU—led by Merz—and its sister party, the Bavarian CSU, struck a deal with the Social Democrats (SPD) earlier in the day to renew their so-called ‘grand coalition’ (2005-09 and 2013-21) which was instrumental in igniting Germany’s economic and industrial downfall, as well as paving the way for the country to welcome millions of illegal migrants. During the party leaders’ press conference, Merz pledged to make Germany “stable, safer, and economically stronger again,” and vowed to “largely end irregular migration.”
Ireland
Former Irish soldier Lisa Smith led a 'totally anonymous' life while living in Syria and there was no 'smoking gun' that she did anything for the so-called Islamic State (IS) terror group, her lawyer has claimed. Smith, 43, from Dundalk in Co Louth, is appealing against her conviction for being a member of the unlawful organisation. The ex-Defence Forces member was found guilty of IS membership in 2023 but was cleared of financing terrorism after a nine-week trial at Dublin's Special Criminal Court.
Spain
World Politics Review: Spain’s Youth Are Giving Franco a Sympathetic Look
This year marks 50 years since Spain’s former dictator Francisco Franco died, ending his 36-year iron grip on the country and giving way to what has been widely lauded as a model transition to democracy. Few Spaniards have any illusions about the brutal jailings, executions and suppression of dissent and free speech that characterized Franco’s rule. Yet as the country kicks off a yearlong official commemoration of “50 Years of Spain in Liberty,” a growing number of young Spaniards believe that the country was better off under Franco.
United Kingdom
A British mother-of-four caught preparing to travel to Afghanistan with her children to make them martyrs for Islamic State has been jailed for life. Farishta Jami, 36, pledged allegiance to Islamic State and had a 'clear interest in the use of children in warfare', including videos of children carrying out executions, which she shared online. The former school dinner lady was this afternoon ordered to serve a minimum term of 17 years after a court heard how she sought to 'indoctrinate and sacrifice her children for the cause'.
Russia
Reuters: Russian prosecutors seek nearly six years in jail for four journalists accused of extremism
Russian prosecutors have asked for jail terms of five years and 11 months for four journalists accused of working for banned organisation of the late opposition leader Alexei Navalny, the journalists said as they were led out of court, a Reuters witness said on Thursday. Antonina Favorskaya, Sergei Karelin, Konstantin Gabov and Artem Kriger have been on trial behind closed doors since October on charges, which they deny, of belonging to an extremist group.
Turkey
Jerusalem Post: Israel, Turkey look to create deconfliction mechanism in Syria
Israel and Turkey have recently discussed creating a coordination mechanism in Syria in efforts to prevent friction, a source familiar with details told The Jerusalem Post on Wednesday. According to the source, the two countries are looking to “establish a mechanism similar to the one that had existed with Russia” during the rule of Bashar al-Assad in Syria. The source noted that the mechanism “successfully prevented unnecessary friction” between Moscow and Jerusalem in the past. The talks between the two nations are at a preliminary stage, the source added.
Israel
Jerusalem Post: IDF sources admit it may take years to root out all Hamas terrorists in Gaza
Although the IDF is making consistent progress against Hamas on many fronts, the army sources acknowledged to The Jerusalem Post on Wednesday that it could easily take a full year or even years to fully root out the terror group. The starting point of the conversation was the recent success of the IDF killing 300 Hamas terrorists and the success prior to the January 19 ceasefire of having killed 18,000-20,000, but then combining that picture with the fact that Hamas may have another 25,000 or more fighters and that currently, the IDF is focusing lots of energy on eliminating the terror group’s remaining fighters in Rafah.
Reuters: Fighter pilots call on Israel to prioritise release of Gaza hostages, even if war must stopv
Nearly 1,000 Israeli retired and reservist fighter pilots called in an open letter on Thursday for the government to prioritise freeing remaining hostages held in Gaza, even if that meant halting the war against Hamas. An Israeli military official said signatories who are on active duty would be dismissed over the letter, which said the war - which Israel resumed last month after a two-month ceasefire - "mainly serves personal and political interests, rather than genuine security needs".
President Trump said Israel would be the “leader” of a potential military strike against Iran if Tehran doesn’t give up its nuclear weapons program. Trump made the comments ahead of this weekend’s scheduled talks involving U.S. and Iranian officials in the Middle East sultanate of Oman. Earlier this week he said the talks would be “direct,” while Iran has described the engagement as “indirect” talks with the U.S.
Jerusalem Post: Israelis arrested for moving millions from Turkey marked for West Bank terror
Israeli civilians transferred millions of shekels from Hamas's Turkish arm to the West Bank as part of an underground terror financing network, the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) and Israel Police announced on Thursday following the arrests of the six Arab Israeli citizens allegedly involved in the funding ring. The Israeli Arabs were arrested last month on suspicion of involvement in transferring funds on behalf of Turkish officials to terror infrastructure in the West Bank, after a joint investigation by the Cyber Unit of Lahav 433-National Crime Unit and the Shin Bet.
Lebanon
Reuters: Hezbollah ready for talks with Lebanese government on defence strategy, MP says
Hezbollah lawmaker Hassan Fadlallah said on Thursday the Iran-aligned group is ready to enter talks with the Lebanese government on a national defence strategy, with the focus on ensuring the removal of Israeli troops from Lebanon's territory. U.S.-backed President Joseph Aoun, who pledged to establish a state monopoly on the control of arms when he took office in January, is set to start talks with Hezbollah about its weapons arsenal, three Lebanese political sources told Reuters.
As calls for Lebanon's Hezbollah to disarm gain momentum, a senior Hezbollah official has told Reuters the group is ready to hold talks with the Lebanese president about its weapons if Israel withdraws from south Lebanon. Filippo Dionigi, a senior lecturer in international relations at Bristol University, says that Hezbollah's new stance may have been prompted by the fact that it is still highly exposed to Israeli intelligence and Israeli attacks.
Naharnet: Aoun says Hezbollah has shown flexibility over its weapons
President Joseph Aoun announced Thursday that “Hezbollah has shown a lot of leniency and flexibility in the issue of cooperating in the weapons file according to a specific timeframe.” Aoun added that “Hezbollah’s positivity must also be met with positivity and understanding of the new situation that the country is living.”
Naharnet: Bulgaria returns body of 2012 bus bomber to Lebanon
The body of a French-Lebanese dual national, who bombed a bus carrying Israeli tourists in Bulgaria in 2012, was being repatriated to Lebanon on Thursday, a source with knowledge of the matter said. The attack at Bulgaria's Burgas airport was the deadliest against Israelis abroad since 2004. Five Israelis, including a pregnant woman, and the Bulgarian bus driver were killed along with the bomber, Mohamad Hassan El-Husseini, 23.
Naharnet: Hezbollah distances itself from unofficial statements
Hezbollah’s media relations unit on Thursday commented on “the recent news and reports attributed to Hezbollah sources or officials.” “Those allegations are totally baseless,” the media unit said in a statement, reiterating that “as it has become known, there are no sources in Hezbollah and its stances are exclusively issued through official statements released by Hezbollah’s media relations unit or through the remarks of its officials who hold official or partisan posts.”
Naharnet: Report: Ortagus doesn't oppose Aoun-Hezbollah talks, may return soon
Deputy U.S. Special Envoy for Middle East Morgan Ortagus expressed understanding of President Joseph Aoun’s desire to hold direct dialogue with Hezbollah over its weapons, official sources said. “But she stressed that the factor of time does not allow for a lengthy dialogue at a time Lebanon is in a dire need for exiting its crises,” the sources added, in remarks to Asharq al-Awsat newspaper.
Syria
Kurdistan 24: ISIS Threat Casts Shadow Over Syria’s Fragile Post-Assad Transition
The Islamic State (ISIS) is displaying troubling signs of resurgence across Syria, drawing in new recruits and escalating its operations, United Nations and U.S. officials have warned, raising alarms over renewed instability in a country already teetering on the edge following the fall of President Bashar al-Assad. While far from its peak strength during its territorial heyday across eastern Syria and northern Iraq, the extremist group’s ability to reconstitute itself amid a power vacuum has resurfaced as a grave concern. Analysts now caution that ISIS could exploit mounting internal tensions and overstretched security capacities to stage a dramatic comeback.
Kurdistan 24: ISIS threatens shop owners in Syria's Deir ez-Zor
UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) on Thursday reported that ISIS cells have sent threatening messages to the owners of shops, including money exchange shops. The messages warn the shop owners to pay the "zakat" (Islamic tax) or face consequences by ISIS cells. The messages sent through Whatsapp from non-Syrian foreign numbers have created a great fear among the people who have put up leaflets in Al-Hawaij and Dhiban in the eastern countryside of Deir ez-Zor, the SOHR report said.
Reuters: Kurds say they will push for federal system in post-Assad Syria
Syrian Kurds are set to demand a federal system in post-Assad Syria that would allow regional autonomy and security forces, a senior Kurdish official told Reuters, doubling down on a decentralised vision opposed by the interim president. The demand for federal rule has gathered momentum as alarm spread through Syria's minorities over last month's mass killings of Alawites, while Kurdish groups have accused interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa and his Islamist group of setting the wrong course for the new Syria and monopolising power.
Associated Press: Turkey and Israel hold talks to avoid accidental conflict in Syria
Turkey and Israel have held “technical talks” aimed at preventing conflict between their troops in Syria, a Turkish official said Thursday. The first discussions were held in Azerbaijan on Wednesday to establish a “de-escalation mechanism to prevent undesirable incidents in Syria,” the Defense Ministry official said on condition of anonymity as part of a policy to discuss the issue. “Work will continue to establish the conflict-free mechanism.”
Afghanistan
UPI: U.N.: Men with 'wrong' hairstyle, women speaking in public targeted under Taliban law
The Taliban's morality police -- some 3,300 officers vested by the regime to enforce its so-called "Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice" laws -- routinely detain Afghans for having the wrong haircut or beard-style and not attending mosque for daily prayers, the United Nations said Thursday. The U.N.'s mission in the country said in a report on the PVPV law over the six months since it came into force in August that men, women, minorities, and young people had been impacted by zealous enforcement across all aspects of daily life, intruding into personal and private spaces, public areas, economic activity and, in the case of non-Sunni Muslims, religion.
Daily Dose
Extremists: Their Words. Their Actions.
Stay up to date on our latest news.
Get the latest news on extremism and counter-extremism delivered to your inbox.
×