Eye on Extremism: January 27, 2025

Associated Press: Hamas Frees 4 Female Israeli Soldiers In Exchange For 200 Palestinian Prisoners As Ceasefire Holds

“Four female Israeli soldiers who were taken in the attack that sparked the war in Gaza returned to Israel on Saturday after Hamas militants paraded them before a crowd of thousands in Gaza City and handed them over to the Red Cross. Israel later released 200 Palestinian prisoners in the second exchange of a fragile ceasefire. The four Israelis smiled, waved and gave the thumbs-up from a stage in Palestine Square, with armed, masked militants on either side as Hamas sought to show it remained in control in Gaza after 15 months of war. The hostages likely acted under duress. Previously released ones said they were held in brutal conditions and forced to record propaganda videos.”

Associated Press: Taliban Reject Court Move To Arrest Top Officials For Persecuting Afghan Women And Girls

“The Taliban Friday rejected a court move to arrest two of their top officials for persecuting women, accusing the court of baseless accusations and misbehavior. The International Criminal Court’s chief prosecutor Karim Khan announced Thursday he had requested arrest warrants for two top Taliban officials, including the leader Hibatullah Akhundzada. Since they took back control of the country in 2021, the Taliban have barred women from jobs, most public spaces and education beyond sixth grade. A Foreign Ministry statement condemned the ICC request.”

CEP Mentions

Associated Press: Anti-Extremism Center Opens In Former House Of Auschwitz Commandant Rudolf Höss

“A U.S.-based organization is transforming the house of Auschwitz commandant Rudolf Höss into a research center devoted to fighting extremism, and is introducing it to the public on the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz on Monday... “My dream, and those of our colleagues, is that every visitor, every fellow, every academic that comes here takes action to fight extremism and antisemitism wherever they come from,” said Mark Wallace, the CEO of the Counter Extremism Project. His group bought the house from a private family and is creating the Auschwitz Center on Hate, Extremism and Radicalization in the house. It opened its doors to reporters on the eve of the anniversary commemorations, showing them the rooms in the three-story house that still need to be renovated.”

The New York Times: At Auschwitz, A Solemn Ceremony At A Time Of Rising Nationalism

“Dozens of world leaders, including King Charles III, joined a dwindling group of Nazi death camp survivors on Monday in southern Poland to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Red Army’s liberation of Auschwitz, where more than 1.1 million people, mostly Jews, were murdered… None of the leaders at the event on Monday will speak. As part of the anniversary events, the house where the Nazi commandant of Auschwitz lived with his family — which was the subject of the Oscar-winning movie “The Zone of Interest” — opened to visitors for the first time following its sale by Polish owners to the Counter Extremism Project, a New York-based group.”

Ireland Live: Anti-Extremism Centre Opens In Former House Of Auschwitz Commandant Rudolf Hoss

“... It has since been acquired by the Counter Extremism Project, a non-government organisation that combats extremist groups by pressuring financial support networks, countering the narrative of extremists and their online recruitment, and advocating for stronger laws, policies and regulations around the world. Counter Extremism Project CEO Mark Wallace said the opening of the home to the public is his dream, and those of our colleagues, is that every visitor, every fellow, and every academic that visits the Auschwitz site will be inspired to take action to fight extremism wherever they come from.”

Redwood News: Hibatullah Akhundzada: Afghanistan's Reclusive Taliban Leader

“... "Akhundzada's relative anonymity has reportedly served as a factor in the Taliban's decision to elevate him. Previously, many had assumed that more well-known figures... would succeed Mullah Mansour," according to the Counter Extremism Project (CEP), a non-profit policy organisation. "Significantly less public and controversial" than other choices, he seemed like the ideal candidate to ensure discretion for the movement and "retain control over its internal factions", the CEP said. Unlike many Taliban figures, Akhundzada is not on the United Nations sanctions list.”

The Guardian: The ‘House Next Door’: Rudolf Höss’s Villa Opens To Honour Auschwitz Victims

“... In 2024, the American non-profit Counter Extremism Project persuaded the Polish family to sell the property. The organisation is led by Mark Wallace, the 57-year-old former ambassador to the UN under President George W Bush. The Counter Extremism Project’s mission is to “combat the growing threat posed by extremist ideologies”. With the support of the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum, the Polish foreign ministry and Unesco, they are opening what they are calling the Auschwitz Research Centre on Hate, Extremism and Radicalisation (Archer) at House 88.”

Euro News: House Next To Auschwitz Opens To Public Amid Alarming International Survey Results On Holocaust

“The family home next to Auschwitz – immortalized on screen in last year’s Oscar-winning film ‘The Zone of Interest’ - is opening its doors to the public for the first time. This coincides with an alarming international survey examining Holocaust knowledge and awareness. The house where German SS officer and commandant of the Auschwitz concentration camp Rudolf Höss lived with his family will open to the public for the first time today, to mark the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the camp. Through the efforts of the American non-profit Counter Extremism Project, in coordination with the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum, the Polish foreign ministry and UNESCO, the villa will become the home of the ‘Auschwitz Research Centre on Hate, Extremism and Radicalisation’.”

WA Today: A House At Auschwitz Opens Its Doors To A Chilling Past

“Oswiecim, Poland: The mother lived for 42 years in a three-storey house overlooking a former gas chamber and a gallows at Auschwitz, sometimes losing sleep at the thought of what had happened on the other side of her garden wall… Last summer, Jurczak agreed to sell her stake in the home to the Counter Extremism Project, a New York-based group that wants to open the house to visitors. She moved out in August, and in October the New York group completed its acquisition of the home and an adjacent house built after the war… Cywinski, the Auschwitz-Birkanau museum director, said he was eager to work with the Counter Extremism Project, in its efforts to combat extremism. Extremism, he said, “is unfortunately not a mental illness; it is a method” that exploits widespread feelings of frustration.”

Irish Examiner: Anti-Extremism Centre Opens In Former House Of Auschwitz Commandant Rudolf Hoss

“The former home of Auschwitz commandant Rudolf Hoss has been transformed into a research centre devoted to fighting extremism, with the building officially opening to the public on the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the concentration camp. The house, which sits beside the former death camp, belonged to a local military family before the invasion of Poland by Nazi forces in 1939. It has since been acquired by the Counter Extremism Project, a non-government organisation that combats extremist groups by pressuring financial support networks, countering the narrative of extremists and their online recruitment, and advocating for stronger laws, policies and regulations around the world.”

Channel 4: ‘Material That Incites Extreme Violence Needs To Be Taken Off The Internet’, Says Former Prisoner Governor

“We spoke to former prison governor Ian Acheson. He’s now the Senior Advisor to the Counter Extremism Project. We began by asking him why Prevent missed so many signs to stop Axel Rudakubana before he went on to kill. Ian Acheson: We don’t have the full facts of a public inquiry and we will get those. But on the face of it, it does look like Prevent has failed to detect his descent into murderous violence. Prevent, I think, is overwhelmed by trivial referrals still, which is obscuring the risks posed by very dangerous people and distracting them from their core mission. Secondly, tendency of practitioners to see young people who are in trouble solely through the lens of vulnerability, not the risk they pose to others…”

The Irish Times: Auschwitz Survivors To Visit Home Of Former Camp Commander Rudolf Höss

“They called it a “paradise” but, these days, the former home of Auschwitz camp commander Rudolf Höss and his family is a pokey, depressing fixer-upper… The new owner is the Counter Extremism Project (CEP), an organisation that studies global extremism and advises state actors on how to push back. It has big plans for the former Höss house, renamed the Auschwitz Research Centre on Hate, Extremism and Radicalisation (ARCHER) at House 88. It hopes this authentic site can help retool for the 21st century the “never forget” mantra of Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel. “Some 80 years on, ‘never forget’ is not enough to prevent the hate and anti-Semitism that grips our society, we need to do more,” said Mark D Wallace, CEP founder and former US ambassador to the United Nations. “The ordinary house of the greatest mass murderer will now be part of the fight against extremism and anti-Semitism.””

Mirror: Exclusive: Inside Nazi House Of Horrors Where Worst Mass Murderer Of All Time Lived

“This ordinary house next door shows “just how close heaven can be to hell on earth”. The former home of the world’s biggest mass murderer, Rudolf Hoss - whose day job was as Auschwitz commandant - has opened its doors for the first time since World War II… This house with its twisted history has now been bought by the Counter Extremism Project from a Polish family whose ancestors had lived there since before and after the war - when it was seized by the Nazis… Counter Extremism Project’s CEO, Mark Wallace, 57, told The Mirror they had been trying to buy the house “for years” and it involved “intensive” negotiations with nine relatives who had claim to the land. Mark said the house was built in 1937 for those working in the military barracks behind before it was seized by the Nazis. The former US ambassador to the UN, said: “I know that in the ordinary house next door to the largest industrial scale slaughter of people in the world, lived a horrible extremist, living a life which was ordinary if not luxurious.”

RTE: Auschwitz: Where The Nazis Created Hell On Earth

“Tomorrow marks the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, the German-Nazi concentration and death camp where more than 1.1 million people were murdered between 1940 and 1945, about 85% of whom were Jews. Other victims included Poles, Soviet prisoners of war, Roma and Sinti gypsies, and other ethnic groups. The date of the camp's liberation by the Soviet army on 27 January 1945 is observed annually as International Holocaust Remembrance Day. There were many other Nazi death camps built across German-occupied Poland during World War II such as Treblinka, Sobibor, Majdanek and Chelmno… A New York-based charity, the Counter Extremism Project, bought the house recently and will run the project.”

Firstpost: Inside The Auschwitz Commandant’s House, Now Dedicated To Fighting Hate

“The former home of Auschwitz commandant Rudolf Höss, located just steps away from the infamous Nazi concentration camp, is undergoing a profound transformation. Acquired by the US-based Counter Extremism Project (CEP), the villa at 88 Legionow Street will soon reopen as the Auschwitz Center on Hate, Extremism, and Radicalization. This initiative, launched in collaboration with the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum and under UNESCO’s patronage, aims to combat extremism and honour the memory of the Holocaust victims. “The idea behind the project is to create something that doesn’t exist—a global centre to fight extremism in the house of one of the historically worst extremists and antisemites that ever existed,” said Hans Jakob Schindler, the senior director of CEP, told CNN.”

Excelsior: 80 Years After The Liberation Of Auschwitz: The Impact Of Pop Culture On Film, Music And Literature

“Eighty years after the liberation of the Nazi concentration camp Auschwitz-Birkenau , the impact of what happened there during World War II is still felt. Although the first news about the site was broadcast on the radio, in film and in newspapers, today the events that occurred, the stories of those who died and those who survived, continue to impact not only the media, but also popular culture worldwide… Since Auschwitz was liberated in 1945, the Hoss family home remained in the hands of a Polish family, but in 2023 it was acquired by the Counter Extremist Project, a New York-based NGO that has sought to combat extremism since 2014.”

The Guardian: Energized Neo-Nazis Feel Their Moment Has Come As Trump Changes Everything

“One week into Donald Trump’s second administration and the verdict among far-right activists and neo-Nazis is that the next four years will be a time to relax, organize and take advantage of the popular awakening of American fascism… “These groups see the next four years as a mix of positives and negatives but overall as an opportunity to enlarge their movement” said Joshua Fisher Birch, a terrorism analyst at the New York-based Counter Extremism Project. “Extreme-right groups are focusing on mass deportations and seeking to win over potential recruits by concentrating on this issue.” But Fisher Birch did note that “their deep distrust of the government and extreme antisemitism has not gone away”.”

Jersey Evening Post: Anti-Extremism Centre Opens In Former House Of Auschwitz Commandant Rudolf Hoss

“The former home of Auschwitz commandant Rudolf Hoss has been transformed into a research centre devoted to fighting extremism, with the building officially opening to the public on the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the concentration camp. The house, which sits beside the former death camp, belonged to a local military family before the invasion of Poland by Nazi forces in 1939. It has since been acquired by the Counter Extremism Project, a non-government organisation that combats extremist groups by pressuring financial support networks, countering the narrative of extremists and their online recruitment, and advocating for stronger laws, policies and regulations around the world.”

The Telegraph: What Prison Life Will Look Like For Southport Killer Axel Rudakubana

“… Due to the nature of his crimes and the likelihood he will have a price on his head, it is not thought that Rudakubana will receive the same treatment. “It is extremely unlikely he will be sent to a YOI. Even the most secure, which is probably HMP Aylesbury, would not be capable of managing the risk he presents,” says Ian Acheson, a former prison governor and senior adviser at the Counter Extremism Project, describing the issue of where to house him as a “massive headache” for the prison service. “My guess would be they will send him to an adult prison first of all – he will probably be sent to the high-security and long-term prison estate, and I would expect him to be segregated until they have worked out a risk-management plan,” he says.”

United States

The New York Times: Independent Watchdog, In Trump’s Cross Hairs, Scrutinizes Terrorism Watch List

“An independent watchdog focused on civil liberties called on the federal government on Friday to tighten its use of a terrorism watch list, which can restrict people from traveling or entering the country and subject them to greater scrutiny at airports. The call, made in a report by the bipartisan Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board, came at a precarious time for the agency. Days ago, in a move that could kneecap the agency, the Trump administration instructed its three Democratic-selected members to submit resignation letters by the close of business on Jan. 23, threatening termination if they failed to comply.”

Reuters: US Teacher Put On Leave After Allegedly Calling Palestinian Child An Extremist

“A public teacher in Pennsylvania was put on leave after allegedly calling a Palestinian American middle school student an extremist, the school district and a Muslim advocacy group said. Human rights advocates say there has been a rise in anti-Muslim, anti-Palestinian and antisemitic hate in the U.S. since the start of Israel's war in Gaza following an Oct. 7, 2023, attack by the Palestinian militant group Hamas.The Central Dauphin School District said on Saturday it had learned about the allegations that the teacher made the derogatory comment last week in an after-school program.”

The Washington Post: U.S. Shared Secret Intelligence With Syria’s New Leaders

“The United States has shared secret intelligence on threats from the Islamic State with the new government in Syria, which is itself run by leaders of a militant group long considered by Washington to be a terrorist organization, according to multiple current and former U.S. officials familiar with the exchanges. In at least one case, the U.S. intelligence helped thwart an Islamic State plot to attack a religious shrine outside Damascus earlier this month, according to the officials. The back channel with Hayʼat Tahrir al-Sham, which overthrew former president Bashar al-Assad’s regime last month, reflects rising U.S. alarm that the Islamic State could mount a resurgence as Syria’s new leaders try to consolidate control.”

Syria

Reuters: Syria's Al-Hol Camp Readies First Return Of Syrian Detainees, Director Says

“Kurdish-led authorities who run a sprawling camp for Islamic State-linked prisoners in northeast Syria are preparing the first-ever return of detainees to Syrian areas, the camp director said, a move enabled by the fall of the Assad regime. Al-Hol camp director Jihan Hanan said preparations were under way for the voluntary return of 66 families from the massive tent city, where the vast majority of inmates are women and children, to areas inside Syria. She did not comment on whether the returns were being planned in coordination with Syria's new ruling authority, set up by the Islamist rebels Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, after they ousted former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Dec. 8, 2023.”

Iraq

Associated Press: Shiite Pilgrims Make Annual Pilgrimage In Iraq Amid Regional Upheaval

“Thousands of Shiite pilgrims dressed in black marched on Saturday, heading on foot toward the golden twin-domed shrine of Imam Moussa al-Kadhim in the northwestern Baghdad district of al-Kadhimiyah. The site in the Iraqi capital holds great religious significance for Shiite Muslims as it hosts the shrine of Imam al-Kadhim, the seventh of the Twelve Imams of Shiite Islam, who died in the late eighth century. This year, it comes amid seismic shifts in the region that have left many Shiites feeling vulnerable, including the fall of the government of Bashar Assad in neighboring Syria.”

Turkey

Reuters: Turkey's Foreign Minister To Visit Iraq To Discuss Kurdish Militants And Security, Source Says

“Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan will visit Iraq on Sunday for talks with officials on the fight against Kurdish militants, security issues and bilateral ties, a Turkish diplomatic source said on Saturday. Ties between the neighbours have been rocky in recent years due to Ankara's cross-border military operations against Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militants based in northern Iraq's mountainous regions. However, they have improved since Baghdad labelled the group a "banned organisation" last year and the countries agreed to hold high-level security talks.”

Reuters: Turkey Says Joint Fight Needed Against Kurdish Militants, Islamic State In The Region

“Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Sunday after talks in Baghdad that a joint battle using "all our resources" must be carried out to eliminate both Islamic State and Kurdish militants in the region. Fidan's visit took place amid repeated calls from Turkey for the Kurdish YPG militia in northeast Syria to disband following the fall of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad last month, with Ankara warning it could mount a new cross-border operation against the group unless its concerns are addressed. The YPG spearheads the U.S.-allied Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). Turkey considers them terrorists that are an extension of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), against which Ankara carries out regular cross-border military operations in northern Iraq's mountainous regions.”

Afghanistan

Associated Press: Afghan Refugees Urge Pakistan To Ease Visa Regime After Trump Pauses US Resettlement Programs

“Afghan refugees on Friday appealed to Pakistan’s premier to ease a visa regime on humanitarian grounds after President Donald Trump paused the U.S. refugee programs. Many Afghans whose visas have either expired or will expire soon fear arrest and deportation. “We don’t know exactly when the pause of the U.S. refugee program will be lifted, but we request Pakistan to extend our stay for at least six months after the expiry of our visas,” said Ahmad Shah, a member of the Afghan USRAP Refugees advocacy group. An estimated 20,000 Afghans are currently waiting in Pakistan to be approved for resettlement in the U.S. via an American government program.”

Associated Press: Taliban Ambassador Warns Rubio Against Bounty Threat Over Americans Detained In Afghanistan

“A Taliban ambassador on Monday warned the new U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio against making threats after saying he would place bounties on Afghanistan’s rulers for their continued detention of U.S. nationals. A prisoner swap between the U.S. and Afghanistan last week freed two Americans in exchange for a Taliban figure, Khan Muhammad. The deal to release Ryan Corbett and William McKenty was brokered by Joe Biden ’s administration before he left office. But two more Americans, George Glezmann and Mahmood Habibi, remain in Taliban custody. The Taliban have not revealed how many foreigners are behind bars.”

Yemen

Associated Press: UN Suspends All Trips Into Houthi-Held Areas Of Yemen Over 7 More Staffers Being Detained

“The United Nations on Friday suspended all travel into areas held by Yemen’s Houthi rebels after seven more of their staff were detained by the rebels. The Houthis have already detained U.N. staffers, as well as individuals associated with the once-open U.S. Embassy in Sanaa, Yemen’s capital, aid groups and civil society. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres late Friday demanded the immediate and unconditional release of the seven, as well as all other U.N. who are being held by the Houthis, some since 2021.”

The New York Times: More Ships May Return To The Red Sea If Houthis Hold Their Fire

“A monthslong, costly disruption to global shipping could soon end now that the Houthi insurgents in Yemen have signaled that they have suspended their attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea. But any return to normality may take a while. Shipping lines say they will only go back to the Red Sea once they are convinced their vessels will not be attacked. That may take time as the Houthis have pledged to renew their assaults if the Israel-Hamas cease-fire breaks down or if the Houthis are targeted by Israel or the United States and its allies. Even if freighters return to the Red Sea, the waterway between the Indian Ocean and the Suez Canal, it could take time for shipping companies to fully rejig their operations, some analysts say.”

The Wall Street Journal: Shippers Wary Of Red Sea Routes Despite Houthi Pledge To End Targeting

“Big shipping companies say they won’t send vessels back to the Red Sea despite a pledge by Iran-backed Houthi militants in Yemen not to attack them as long as a cease-fire in Gaza holds. The world’s top three container shippers, MSC Mediterranean Shipping, A.P. Moller-Maersk and CMA CGM, in recent days said they would stick with other routes given what they called the unpredictable situation in Gaza and broader tensions in the Middle East. “You don’t want to send a gas carrier that will go up in flames,” said Nils Haupt, spokesman for Germany’s biggest shipper, Hapag-Lloyd. “We don’t know when we will be returning.””

Lebanon

CBS News: 22 Reported Killed In Lebanon As Israeli Forces Remain After A Withdrawal Deadline

“Israeli forces killed at least 22 people and injured more than 124 others in southern Lebanon on Sunday after protesters demanded their withdrawal in line with a ceasefire agreement with Hezbollah, Lebanese authorities said. The dead included two women and a Lebanese army soldier, the health ministry said in a statement. Demonstrators, some of them carrying Hezbollah flags, attempted to enter several villages to protest Israel's failure to withdraw from southern Lebanon by the 60-day deadline stipulated in a ceasefire agreement that halted the Israel-Hezbollah war in late November.”

Qatar

NBC News: Qatar Says Deal Is In Place To Release Israeli Hostage And Allow Palestinians Into Northern Gaza

“Qatar announced early Monday that an agreement has been reached to release an Israeli civilian hostage and allow Palestinians to return to northern Gaza, easing the first major crisis of the fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. The statement from Qatar, a mediator in ceasefire talks, said Hamas will hand over the civilian hostage, Arbel Yehoud, along with two other hostages before Friday. On Monday, Israeli authorities will allow Palestinians to return to northern Gaza. The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a statement said the hostage release — which will include soldier Agam Berger — will take place Thursday, and it confirmed that Palestinians can move north on Monday.”

Middle East

Reuters: Exclusive: Hamas Has Added Up To 15,000 Fighters Since Start Of War, US Figures Show

“The Palestinian militant group Hamas has recruited between 10,000 and 15,000 members since the start of its war with Israel, according to two congressional sources briefed on U.S. intelligence, suggesting the Iran-backed fighters could remain a persistent threat to Israel.

The intelligence indicates a similar number of Hamas fighters have been killed during that period, the sources said. The latest official U.S. estimates have not been previously reported. Hamas and Israel began a ceasefire on Sunday after 15 months of a conflict that has devastated the Gaza Strip and inflamed the Middle East.”

Associated Press: Tens Of Thousands Return To Devastated Northern Gaza As Israel Lifts Its Closure Under Truce

“Tens of thousands of Palestinians streamed into the most heavily destroyed part of the Gaza Strip on Monday as Israel lifted its closure of the north for the first time since the early weeks of the 15-month war with Hamas in accordance with a fragile ceasefire. Massive crowds of people walking with their belongings stretched along a main road running next to the coast in a stunning reversal of the mass exodus from the north at the start of the war that many Palestinians had feared Israel would make permanent. Palestinians who have been sheltering in squalid tent camps and schools-turned-shelters for over a year are eager to return to their homes — even though they have likely been damaged or destroyed.”

Nigeria

Associated Press: Nigerian Soldiers Killed 79 Militants And Suspected Kidnappers In The Past Week, Army Says

“Nigerian soldiers killed 79 militants and suspected kidnappers over the past week, the army said Friday, in an operation targeting a decades-long insurgency by Islamic militants in the northeast and attacks by various armed groups in the northwest. The West African country has been ramping up efforts to secure the country as some 35,000 civilians have been killed and more than 2 million displaced in the northeastern region, according to the U.N. The nationwide operation by Nigeria’s military led to the arrest of 252 individuals and the liberation of 67 hostages held by the militants, a Nigerian military spokesperson, Edward Buba, said in a statement.”

Somalia

Bloomberg: Somalia Confirms Egypt To Take Part In Local Peacekeeping Force

“Somalia said it’s completed technical discussions with Egypt regarding Cairo’s participation in an African Union-led peacekeeping force in the Horn of Africa country. Somalia “looks forward to their contribution alongside other troop-partner nations,” its Ministry of Defense said in a statement Monday. The African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia, or Aussom, will also include soldiers from neighboring Ethiopia, which has historically been a key contributor to the United Nations-backed force that’s been fighting the al-Shabaab militant group for almost two decades. Relations between Somalia and Ethiopia have been improving following mediation from Turkey.”

Africa

Bloomberg: Interpol Operation Arrests 37 Terror Suspects In East Africa

“A joint operation by Interpol and Afripol led to the arrest of 37 suspected members of terror groups including Islamic State and al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab in East Africa in November and December. The suspects were arrested across eight countries and were allegedly involved in terrorism financing, radicalization and propaganda, making bombs and planting improvised explosive devices, Interpol said in an emailed statement.”

United Kingdom

BBC: Teenager Charged With Terrorism Offences

“A 16-year-old boy who was arrested outside a mosque in Inverclyde has been charged with terrorism offences. The teenager was detained outside the Inverclyde Islamic Centre in Laird Street, Greenock, on Thursday. Police Scotland said in a statement he had now been charged with terrorism offences and was expected to appear at Greenock Sheriff Court on Monday. During the investigation a second 16-year-old boy was also arrested in the Greenock area but was released pending further inquiries.”

Technology

The Guardian: Recent School Shooters Appear To Have Crossed Paths In Online Extremist Groups

“Two teenagers who carried out deadly shootings before killing themselves at their respective high schools in attacks roughly a month apart from each other appear to have crossed paths online, according to a new joint report from ProPublica and Wisconsin Watch. The first shooting took place on 16 December at the Abundant Life Christian school in Madison, Wisconsin. Two people – a teacher and a 14-year-old student – were killed by the shooter, 15-year-old Natalie Rupnow, before she killed herself. On Wednesday morning, Solomon Henderson, a 17-year-old student at Antioch high school in the Nashville area, killed a fellow student after firing 10 shots in a school cafeteria.”

Daily Dose

Extremists: Their Words. Their Actions.

Fact:

On October 7, 2023, Hamas invaded southern Israel where, in the space of eight hours, hundreds of armed terrorists perpetrated mass crimes of brutality, rape, and torture against men, women and children. In the biggest attack on Jewish life in a single day since the Holocaust, 1,200 were killed, and 251 were taken hostage into Gaza—where 101 remain. One year on, antisemitic incidents have increased by record numbers. 

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