“A Tunisian national was sentenced late Wednesday to life imprisonment without
parole, France’s most severe sentence possible, over the killing of three
people in a basilica in the French Riviera city of Nice in 2020, one of
multiple attacks that year linked to Islamic extremism. Brahim Aouissaoui, 25,
was charged with terrorist murder and attempted terrorist murder. He admitted
responsibility for the attack during the trial in Paris, even though he had
said he couldn’t remember anything since then. He explained that he wanted to
avenge Muslims killed around the world by Western nations. On Oct. 29, 2020,
Aouissaoui killed worshippers Nadine Vincent, 60, and Simone Barreto, a
44-year-old French-Brazilian woman, and church worker Vincent Loquès, 55.”











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Eye on Extremism



February 28, 2025



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Associated Press: A Tunisian Extremist Is Imprisoned For Life For Killing 3
People In A French Basilica In 2020
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“A Tunisian national was sentenced late Wednesday to life imprisonment without
parole, France’s most severe sentence possible, over the killing of three
people in a basilica in the French Riviera city of Nice in 2020, one of
multiple attacks that year linked to Islamic extremism. Brahim Aouissaoui, 25,
was charged with terrorist murder and attempted terrorist murder. He admitted
responsibility for the attack during the trial in Paris, even though he had
said he couldn’t remember anything since then. He explained that he wanted to
avenge Muslims killed around the world by Western nations. On Oct. 29, 2020,
Aouissaoui killed worshippers Nadine Vincent, 60, and Simone Barreto, a
44-year-old French-Brazilian woman, and church worker Vincent Loquès, 55.”



Associated Press: Suspected Islamic Extremist Charged In Deadly German Knife
Attack That Left 3 Dead And 10 Wounded
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“Germany’s top prosecutor has charged a suspected Islamic extremist with
murder, attempted murder and membership in a terrorist organization abroad in
connection with a deadly knife attack last year at a festival in the western
German city of Solingen. The Aug. 24 violence left three dead and 10 wounded at
a festival marking the city’s 650th anniversary. Prosecutors previously said
the alleged perpetrator shared the radical ideology of the Islamic State
extremist group — and was acting on those beliefs when he stabbed his victims
repeatedly from behind in the head and upper body. IS later claimed
responsibility for the attack, without providing evidence.”





Counter Extremism Perspectives

Active Clubs: White supremacist network
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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



Global Construction Review: Daniel Libeskind Chosen To Redevelop Auschwitz
Commandant’s House As Research Centre
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“... Archer will be located at the former home of Auschwitz Commandant Rudolf
Höss, also known as House 88, in a project sponsored by the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs, Unesco, the Counter Extremism Project (CEP) and the Auschwitz–Birkenau
Museum. Rudolf Höss and House 88 were the subject of the Oscar-winning film The
Zone of Interest, directed by Jonathan Glazer. The centre will house a
permanent exhibition organized by Italian composer Francesco Lotoro, which
contains a collection of music written in camps.”




Recent CEP Press Releases

* Extremist Content Online: Leader of Nazi Group the Base Posts Video and the
Group Requests Cryptocurrency; German-Language Pro-ISIS Group Celebrates and
Encourages Attacks
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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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United States



Fox News: Illegal Immigrant, Alleged ISIS Operative, Charged With Financing
Terror, Gun Violations And Immigration Fraud
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“A Tajik man living in the United States illegally was charged with trying to
provide support to the Islamic State and affiliated terror groups, including
providing money to the families of terrorists killed onthe battlefield, the
Justice Department said Wednesday. Mansuri Manuchekhri, 33, who lived in
Brooklyn, New York, appeared before a federal judge Wednesday and was ordered
to be detained, authorities said. He also faces charges of possessing guns
while unlawfully in the U.S. and immigration fraud, according to court
documents. "Under no circumstances will my Department of Justice tolerate
terrorism," said Attorney General Pam Bondi.”



CBS News: Trump Eases Rules On Military Raids And Airstrikes, Expanding Range
Of Who Can Be Targeted
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“President Trump has rolled back constraints on American commanders to
authorize airstrikes and special operation raids outside conventional
battlefields, broadening the range of people who can be targeted, according to
U.S. officials with knowledge of the policy shift. The quiet but seismic
recalibration dismantles Biden-era mandates and signals a return to more
aggressive counterterrorism policies Trump first instituted in his first term.
During his first overseas trip earlier this month, Defense Secretary Pete
Hegseth, in a meeting with senior U.S. military leaders from U.S. Africa
Command in Germany, signed a directive easing policy constraints and executive
oversight on airstrikes and the deployment of American commandos.”



Syria



Reuters: SDF Chief Says PKK Disarmament Call 'Not Related To US In Syria'
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“The commander of the Kurdish-led forces that control northeastern Syria said
that a call by the leader of the militant Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in
Turkey for the PKK to dissolve did not apply to the group he leads. Syrian
Democratic Forces (SDF) commander Mazloum Abdi said he welcomed the historic
call by Abdullah Ocalan for the PKK to drop its decades-long armed struggle
against the Turkish state, which he said would have positive consequences in
the region. But Abdi said the long-imprisoned Ocalan's announcement on Thursday
applied only to the PKK and was "not related to us in Syria".”



Turkey



Reuters: Kurdish Militant Chief's Peace Call Prompts Hope, Scepticism In Turkey

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“Kurdish militant leader Abdullah Ocalan's call from prison for his Kurdistan
Workers Party (PKK) to lay down arms sparked both hope and scepticism in Turkey
on Thursday, while analysts linked it to a possible bid to overcome
presidential term limits. Thousands gathered in the central, predominantly
Kurdish province, of Diyarbakir on Thursday, waving red, yellow, and green
Kurdish flags and chanting slogans as they watched Ocalan's letter being read
out on big screens by members of the delegation that visited him. Reactions
were divided, with some welcoming the call as a step toward peace while others
dismissed it as a mistake.”



Pakistan



Associated Press: Suicide Bomb At A Seminary In Northwest Pakistan Kills Top
Cleric And 5 Others Ahead Of Ramadan
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“A suicide bomber blew himself up after walking into a mosque within a
pro-Taliban seminary in northwestern Pakistan on Friday, killing a top cleric
and five other worshippers and wounding dozens of others ahead of the fasting
month of Ramadan, according to local police. The blast occurred in Akora
Khattak, a district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, district police chief Abdul
Rashid said. He said Hamidul Haq, who is the head of a faction of the
Jamiat-e-Ulema Islam (JUI) party, is also among the dead. Rashid said officers
transported the wounded to hospitals. The slain cleric Haq is the son of
Maulana Samiul Haq, known as the “father of the Taliban,” who was killed in a
knife attack at his home in 2018.”



Middle East



The New York Times: West Bank Operation Tests Palestinian Leaders’ Ability To
Root Out Militants
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“The Palestinian Authority was carrying out one of the most extensive
security operations in its history, pursuing armed militants in the West Bank
city of Jenin. For weeks, the authority’s forces slowly advanced on the
militants’ densely populated stronghold, Palestinian officials said. When the
Israeli military launched its own wide-scale raid there in January, the
authority was expected to abandon its operation. Instead, when dozens of
militants fled to nearby villages, Palestinian security forces swooped in to
arrest them, officials said. “We made very important progress in reinforcing
law and order,” Brig. Gen. Anwar Rajab, the spokesman for the authority’s
security forces, said in a phone interview.”



Reuters: Israeli Military Inquiry Says It 'Failed To Protect' Civilians On
October 7
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“The Israeli military drastically underestimated the capabilities of Hamas
before its attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023, and "failed in its mission to
protect Israeli civilians", a summary of an Israeli military investigation
published on Thursday said. The perception that Hamas was not interested in a
full-scale conflict and that Israel would have ample warning if that changed
went unchallenged for years, the summary said, resulting in a lack of
preparedness and ability to respond to an attack. "The belief was that Hamas
could be influenced through pressures that would reduce its motivation for war,
primarily by improving living conditions in the Gaza Strip," the report said.”



Associated Press: Israel And Hamas Have Begun Negotiating Next Phase Of Gaza
Ceasefire, Egypt Says
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“Negotiations between Israel and Hamas on the next phase of the Gaza
ceasefire began Thursday, Egypt said, averting a collapse ahead of Saturday’s
expiration of the agreement’s first phase. Officials from Israel, Qatar and the
United States started “intensive discussions” on the ceasefire’s second phase
in Cairo, Egypt‘s state information service said. “The mediators are also
discussing ways to enhance the delivery of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip,
as part of efforts to alleviate the suffering of the population and support
stability in the region,” its statement said. Phase 2 talks are meant to
negotiate an end to the war, including the return of all remaining hostages in
Gaza who are alive, and the withdrawal of all Israeli troops from the
territory. Return of remaining deceased hostages would happen in Phase 3.”



Somalia



Voice Of America: Ethiopia PM Visits Somalia As Neighbors Try To Improve
Relations
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“Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed met with Somali President Hassan Sheikh
Mohamud in Mogadishu Thursday, as their nations try to mend relations strained
by Ethiopia’s deal for sea access with Somaliland – a breakaway republic
Somalia considers part of its territory. Abiy flew into the Somali capital
Thursday, as Somali forces, backed by African Union peacekeepers, beefed up
security at Mogadishu’s Aden Ade International Airport and along the road
leading to the presidential place. Mogadishu’s main roads were closed, and
vehicular traffic was restricted. VOA reporters said that Ethiopian flags were
flying at the airport, as the Somali National Music Band and traditional
folklore dancers greeted Abiy at the airport.”



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