“Three empty buses in central Israel exploded late Thursday night in what
officials said was a suspected terrorist attack, prompting the Israeli military
to deploy three additional battalions to reinforce a weeks-long operation in
the increasingly restive occupied West Bank. No injuries were reported. The bus
attack involved a total of five explosives, three of which detonated, said Tel
Aviv District Commander Haim Sargrof of the Israeli police. Sargrof told
reporters that the devices had timers but were improvised explosives, according
to Israeli media reports. After the explosions, the Izzedine al-Qassam
Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, put out a statement attributed to the
West Bank-based Tulkarm Battalion saying that “the revenge for our martyrs will
not be forgotten as long as the occupier remains on our land.””











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Eye on Extremism



February 21, 2025



The Washington Post: Three Empty Buses Explode In Israel In Suspected
Terrorist Attack
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“Three empty buses in central Israel exploded late Thursday night in what
officials said was a suspected terrorist attack, prompting the Israeli military
to deploy three additional battalions to reinforce a weeks-long operation in
the increasingly restive occupied West Bank. No injuries were reported. The bus
attack involved a total of five explosives, three of which detonated, said Tel
Aviv District Commander Haim Sargrof of the Israeli police. Sargrof told
reporters that the devices had timers but were improvised explosives, according
to Israeli media reports. After the explosions, the Izzedine al-Qassam
Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, put out a statement attributed to the
West Bank-based Tulkarm Battalion saying that “the revenge for our martyrs will
not be forgotten as long as the occupier remains on our land.””



Associated Press: Israel Identifies Remains Of Child Hostages But Says Another
Body From Hamas Was Not Their Mother
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“The Israeli military said Friday it had positively identified the remains of
two young hostages but another body released by Hamas under a ceasefire deal
was not the boys’ mother as the militant group had promised. The revelation was
a shocking twist in the saga surrounding the Bibas family, who have become
global symbols of the plight of Israeli hostages held by Hamas, and threw the
future of the fragile ceasefire into question. “This is a violation of utmost
severity by the Hamas terrorist organization,” the army said in a statement.
During the monthlong ceasefire, Hamas has been releasing living hostages in
exchange hundreds of Palestinian prisoners. Thursday’s release marked the first
time the group has returned the remains of dead hostages.”





Counter Extremism Perspectives

ARCHER at House 88 - the new initiative from the Counter Extremism Project
(Podcast in German)
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CounterPod

U.K. Home Office Counter Terror ‘sprint’ report; Donald Trump on Gaza; Eric
Glass; extremism in South Africa; kicked off by an irreverent explanation of
the Tush Push.
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CEP Mentions



Merkur.de: “Intensify Hybrid Warfare Before Elections”: Russia’s Role In The
Munich Attack
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“... Hans-Jakob Schindler is well aware of the theory of Russian agents in
Afghanistan. "It is entirely possible, we had corresponding indications," said
the director of the NGO Counter Extremism Project (CEP) in an interview with
this editorial team. However, this cannot currently be proven, says the
terrorism expert and Middle East expert. But: "Russia's goal is to cause social
upheaval in Germany too." Acts of violence shortly before important elections
would certainly play into the Russians' hands, says Schindler. "However,
attacks cannot be timed precisely. For that to happen, Russia would have to
intervene directly with the perpetrator in question."”



Frankfurter Rundschau: "Unappetizing": Amazon Is Flooded With AfD Election
Advertising And Reich Citizen Articles
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“... Articles from other parties cannot be found on Amazon. Experts are
extremely critical of this particular form of election advertising. Extremism
expert Hans-Jakob Schindler, director of the Counter Extremism Project, told
our editorial team: "The AfD is pursuing a normalization strategy. The
technical term for remigration is 'ethnic cleansing'. And now the party is
using it officially and it is being printed on merchandise. That is more than
worrying." He also sees the responsibility lying with the operators of social
media, who fueled such normalization strategies: "This is also partly a
home-made problem of the democratic center.”



Welt: Return Of IS? – “A Victory Narrative Is Developing In The Scene”
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“After several Islamist attacks in Germany and Austria, IS has called for
further acts of terror. The terrorist organization is now trying to act as a
source of ideas on the Internet in a "motivated scene," says terrorism expert
Dr. Hans-Jakob Schindler.”




Recent CEP Press Releases

*
Extremist Content Online: Files For Simulating Christchurch Terrorist Attack
in Roblox Located; Clips of Recreations of Christchurch and Buffalo Attack
Videos Using Videogames Located on TikTok
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*
Extremist Content Online: ISIS-K-Linked Voice of Khorasan Web Magazine
Recommends Use of Telegram Communications App Despite Terms of Service Change,
U.S. White Supremacist Groups Continue to Promote Mass Deportations
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*
Counter Extremism Project CEO Ambassador Mark D. Wallace Thanks the Government
of Canada and Prime Minister Trudeau for Visiting CEP’s ARCHER at House 88 and
Ongoing Efforts in Fighting Antisemitism
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Counter Extremism Project CEO Ambassador Mark D. Wallace Thanks the Government
of Germany and its Official Delegation for Visiting CEP’s ARCHER at House 88
and Ongoing Efforts in Fighting Antisemitism
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*
Counter Extremism Project CEO Ambassador Mark D. Wallace Applauds President
Trump for His Commitment to Fighting Antisemitism and Thanks Him and His
Delegation Members at the 80th Anniversary of the Liberation of Auschwitz for
Their Visit to CEP’s ARCHER
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Canada



Associated Press: Following US Lead, Canada Designates 7 Latin American
Criminal Groups As Terrorist Entities
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“Canada is designating seven Latin American criminal organizations as
terrorist entities under the country’s Criminal Code, giving Canadian law
enforcement another tool in the fight against fentanyl trafficking, Public
Safety Minister David McGuinty said Thursday. The list includes Mexico’s
Sinaloa Cartel, Jalisco New Generation Cartel and La Nueva Familia Michoacana,
and was announced a day after the U.S. government formally designated eight
Latin American organized crime groups as “foreign terrorist organizations.”
“The measures will help keep fentanyl off Canadian streets and from entering
the United States,” McGuinty told a news conference.”



Mexico



The Washington Post: Mexico Eyes Constitutional Reform After U.S. Terrorism
Designations
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“Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said her party has proposed reforms to
the country’s constitution to better protect its sovereignty in response to the
United States designating six Mexican organized-crime groups as foreign
terrorist organizations. The U.S. State Department on Thursday upgraded the
designation of cartels including Mexico’s Sinaloa and Jalisco Nueva Generación,
which together dominate fentanyl manufacturing and importation into the United
States, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration. “This cannot be an
opportunity for the United States to invade our sovereignty,” Sheinbaum said at
a news conference Thursday, adding that Mexico would collaborate on combating
organized crime but would not accept “subordination.””



Syria



Associated Press: Syria’s Christians Mark A Decade Since A Horrific IS Attack
And Worry About Their Future
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“It was a mournful moment for Christians in Syria. A bell that once summoned
residents to worship rang out, but the church was no longer there. The Saint
Odisho church was blown up by the Islamic State group a decade ago, leaving Tel
Tal village almost empty of residents. A local Christian who fled the attack,
Ishaq Nissan, walked the streets and pointed to uninhabited homes, explaining
where families had gone: U.S., Australia, Canada or Europe. This month,
northeast Syria’s remaining Christians will mark the 10th anniversary of the IS
attack on over 30 villages along the Khabur river. On Feb. 23, 2015, dozens of
Christians were killed or wounded and over 200 were taken hostage. Churches
were blown up, and thousands of people fled.”



Associated Press: 2 Women An A Child Among 4 People Killed In Explosion At A
House In Northwestern Syria
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“A first responders group said some unexploded ordnance blew up inside a home
in northwestern Syria on Thursday, killing four people, including two women and
a child. The paramedic group, known Syrian Civil Defense or White Helmets, said
the device appears to have been brought into the house in the town of Nairbab,
where it exploded and destroyed the house. The group said a search was still
ongoing to find out if there are more casualties under the rubble. Thousands of
mines, improvised explosive devices and other unexploded ordnance have killed
and wounded scores in Syria since the country’s conflict began in March 2011.
Syria’s civil war has killed half a million people and displaced half the
country’s pre-war population of 23 million.”



Afghanistan



Amu TV: Rubio Warns Taliban’s Limited Control In Afghanistan Creates
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“U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has warned that the Taliban’s lack of
full control over Afghanistan’s territory creates opportunities for terrorist
groups such as al-Qaeda and ISIS-K to operate in the country. In an interview
with Catherine Herridge on X, Rubio noted that unlike a decade ago, the U.S. no
longer has forces on the ground to monitor and counter these threats directly.
Asked whether al-Qaeda and ISIS-K have established safe havens in Afghanistan
similar to the pre-9/11 era, Rubio responded: “Well, I wouldn’t say it’s the
pre-9/11 landscape. But anytime you have contested territory where the
government does not fully control every part of the country, it creates
opportunities for these groups.””



Middle East



Reuters: Hamas Names Six Hostages It Will Release On Saturday
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“The armed wing of militant group Hamas said on Friday it will release
Israeli hostages Eliya Cohen, Omer Shem Tov, Tal Shoham, Omer Wenkert, Hisham
al-Sayed and Avera Mengisto on Saturday. Hisham al-Sayed and Avera Mengisto are
civilians, who entered Gaza a decade ago and have been held there since.”



ABC: Netanyahu Vows ‘Revenge’ After Israel Says Hamas Sent Back Wrong Body For
Shiri Bibas
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“Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed "revenge" on Friday after
the Israeli military said one of the four bodies recently released by Hamas did
not include a hostage. Hamas, the militant group that governs the war-torn Gaza
Strip, said it had handed over the remains of four deceased Israeli hostages on
Thursday: 32-year-old Shiri Bibas; her two children -- Ariel Bibas, 4, and Kfir
Bibas, 8 1/2 months; and 84-year-old Oded Lifschitz. After conducting a
forensic analysis, Israeli officials positively identified three of the
returned bodies as Lifschitz and the Bibas children but said the fourth was not
that of their mother nor any other hostage, according to the Israel Defense
Forces, which accused Hamas of committing a "very serious violation" of the
current ceasefire agreement.”



Somalia



Reuters: Somalia Says Its Army, Allied Militias Repel Al Shabaab Attacks, Kill
More Than 130
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“Somalia said on Thursday its army and allied clan militias have fought off
coordinated raids on villages by the Islamist al Shabaab armed group in the
country's south, killing more than 130 attackers. The al Qaeda-linked militant
group has conducted a bloody insurgency in southern and central Somalia since
2007, killing thousands of people in a campaign that has been marked by deadly
bombings in the capital Mogadishu. Al Shabaab attacked four villages in the
Middle Shabelle region with vehicles laden with explosives on Thursday morning,
and briefly captured two of them before being repulsed in heavy fighting, two
local residents and a defence ministry spokesperson said. "The heroes of the
national army and the local people killed more than 130 (al Shabaab fighters)
in the operation to defeat the enemy," the information ministry said in a
statement.”



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