Eye on Extremism

February 14, 2025

**NOTE: Eye on Extremism will be suspended on Monday, February 17th in observance of Presidents’ Day. It will resume Tuesday, February 18th.**

ABC: Fragile Gaza Ceasefire A Reminder Of The Lingering Houthi Rebel Threat

“Yemen's Houthi rebels have sent a reminder that their "hands are on the trigger", ready to attack Israel if the Gaza ceasefire ends. In the lead-up to the deal, the rebels were the only Iran-backed militant group still regularly launching attacks in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza. For more than 14 months, they fired at commercial vessels in the Red Sea, and increasingly launched missile and drone strikes towards Israeli territory. Repeated retaliation from Israel and the United States did little to deter them. Since the Israel-Hamas ceasefire came into effect on January 19, the rebels have been scaling back their attacks. As the deal appeared on shaky ground this week, the group vowed to "immediately escalate" if it unravelled.”

Associated Press: Prosecutors See An Islamic Extremist Motive In The Munich Car-Ramming Attack

“The suspect in the car-ramming attack in Munich that left more than 30 people injured appears to have had an Islamic extremist motive, but there’s no evidence that he was involved with any radical network, authorities said Friday. The 24-year-old Afghan, who arrived in Germany as an asylum-seeker in 2016 and lived in Munich, was arrested after driving his Mini Cooper into the back of a labor union demonstration in the Bavarian city on Thursday. Police officers pulled him out of the car after firing a shot at the vehicle, which didn’t hit him, and arrested him. It was the fifth in a series of attacks involving immigrants over the past nine months that have pushed migration to the forefront of the campaign for Germany’s Feb. 23 election.”

Counter Extremism Perspectives

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

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.

CEP Mentions

The Guardian: Trump’s Gaza Plan Unites Jihadist And Far-Right Circles, Experts Warn

“As Donald Trump continues to threaten to take control over the Gaza Strip, an unlikely consensus has emerged across hardcore jihadist and far-right circles: both strongly oppose any new US military actions in the territory. Now experts are warning that Trump’s plan is galvanizing two of the most dangerous and organized extremist movements with track records of domestic terrorist attacks… Joshua Fisher-Birch, a terrorism analyst at the non-profit Counter Extremism Project, said that a prospective Gaza occupation has angered the far right “more than any other issue has in 2025 so far”. “White supremacist online propagandists have reacted to Trump’s idea to take over Gaza with disgust and have stated that it is an act of betrayal,” he said. “The proposal is being portrayed as Trump sending white Americans to die on behalf of Israel.””

Frankfurter Rundschau: Car Drives Into Crowd In Munich: Why There Are So Many Crimes In Germany At The Moment

“... Schindler is a terrorism expert and director of the Counter Extremism Project (CEP). " Cars were used on Christmas in Magdeburg and on New Year's Day in New Orleans. So it's not totally surprising that another car attack has been attempted," he says. According to the vice president of the Munich police headquarters, Christian Huber, the suspected attack in Munich happened like this: At around 10:30 a.m., a 24-year-old man drove behind the demonstration in his car, overtook a police car protecting the group, accelerated - and drove into the back of the demonstration.”

GB News: 'We Have To Be Prepared!' Counter-Terror Expert Calls For Urgent Reform In Germany's Migration And Security Systems After Shocking Munich Attack

“A leading counter-terrorism expert has called for urgent reforms in Germany following three attacks in as many months, with the latest suspected terror incident unfolding in Munich on Thursday. The expert's comments come after a car rammed into protesters in central Munich - leaving 28 people injured. Two people are fighting for their lives and 26 others were injured after a Mini Cooper ploughed into a crowd of trade union protesters in Munich. Speaking to GB News, Hans Jakob Schindler said: "Clearly, there is a very tragic situation in Germany. "We had now three attacks in three months, one in December by someone who's been living here in Germany for many, many years was an anti-islamist.”

Foundation For Defense Of Democracies: Timid UN Response To Death Of Aid Worker Held Captive By Houthis

“The United Nations pronounced itself “grief-stricken and outraged” about the death on February 10 of a veteran aid worker taken hostage in Yemen, yet its statements barely criticized the Houthi rebels forces who held the victim in captivity. This timid response underscores the extent to which the United Nations has accommodated itself to persistent abuse by the Iran-backed Houthis, who also divert vast amounts of aid intended for those facing deprivations as a result of Yemen’s decade-long civil war… Yet according to a June 2024 report from the Counter-Extremism Project, the situation remained as bad as ever: “The regime oversees and controls every aspect of humanitarian work in their territory: determining beneficiary lists, providing permits for any movements of aid organizations’ personnel, and deciding which local entities are eligible to serve as contractors, local implementation partners, or third-party monitors for humanitarian projects.””

Artribune: Architect Daniel Libeskind Designs New Center Against Hatred And Extremism At Auschwitz

“The museum complex will take shape in the former Commandant's House of the Auschwitz-Birchenau concentration camp, made famous by the Oscar-winning film The Zone of Interest. The space will soon be created on the initiative of the Counter Extremism Project… In fact, Libeskind will create the new Auschwitz Research Center on Hate, Extremism, and Radicalization (ARCHER) at House 88, which will take shape inside the former Commandant's House in the coming months. Open to visitors for the first time on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, celebrated last January 27, the Commandant’s House, a few meters from the concentration camp, became famous in 2023 as the set of the Oscar-winning film The Zone of Interest. Directed by Jonathan Glazer, the film reconstructs the events of the Nazi officer and camp commander Rudolf Höss and his family, who lived in the building from 1941 to 1944. Having changed ownership, the House was purchased in the summer of 2024 by the non-governmental organization Counter Extremism Project, the client of the future museum project.”

Forum: "We Are Living In A Digital Colonialism", Warns Data Analyst About Big Tech Dossier

“Many people are still surprised by the power that the so-called big techs have been accumulating in the “globalized” world. In the second Trump administration, this became more than explicit. A report by Forum, in fact, showed that the wealth of millionaires increased three times faster in 2024, all of them owners of technology companies, according to the Oxfam report "At whose expense? – The origin of wealth and the construction of injustice in colonialism”, in addition to giving in advance the direct millionaire investment of the owners of big techs to the inauguration of the Republican president… Algorithms that lead people to extremism: The dossier mentions a study by the Counter Extremism Project, which exposes how YouTube's algorithm favors disinformation, conspiracy theories and extremism. The same occurs with Twitter, TikTok and Meta.”

T-Online: “A Winning Narrative Has Developed”

“A car drove into a demonstration in Munich. A terrorism expert believes the event could have been better secured. Shortly after the attack on a Verdi demonstration in Munich, much is still unclear. The suspect has been arrested, however, and there are already initial findings on him that point to terrorism. Several people's lives are in danger. It is the third attack in Germany within just two months. After Magdeburg and Aschaffenburg, the debate about security precautions and deportations is flaring up again - because the perpetrator was an asylum seeker from Afghanistan. In an interview with t-online, terrorism expert Hans-Jakob Schindler also sees major shortcomings in security and contradicts Bavaria's Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann.”

DW News: Munich Case Taken Over By Extremism And Terror Prosecutors

“In the German city of Munich a car has ploughed into a crowd of people. 30 people were injured in what police are treating as an attack. The crowd was made up of people taking part in a trade union demonstration. Police have arrested a suspect, described as a 24-year-old asylum seeker from Afghanistan. Timestamps: 00:00- 30 people injured in car-ramming attack in Munich, 02:29- Hans-Jakob Schindler, Counter Extremism Project.”

ABC: Massive Car Ramming Leaves At Least 28 Wounded In Munich

“Hans Jakob Schindler is a from the Counter Extremism Project, a policy organisation that focuses on extremist ideologies. He spoke to ABC news and says there's indications the attack was not random.”

Phoenix: Munich: Car Drives Into Crowd - Classification By Hans-Jakob Schindler On 13.02.25

“Munich: Car drives into crowd - assessment by Hans-Jakob Schindler (terrorism expert for Counter Extremism Project)”

Zeit Online: Munich Between Shock And Security Conference

“Yesterday a car drove into a crowd in Munich. How do such incidents affect the feeling of security? And: The Munich Security Conference begins. In the Munich district of Maxvorstadt, a 24-year-old Afghan drove a vehicle into a crowd and injured numerous people. The suspected perpetrator, who had been in Germany since 2016 and whose asylum application was rejected, was arrested. Initial investigations indicate an Islamist motive. Could the crime have been prevented? Hans-Jakob Schindler is an expert on security and terrorism. In the podcast, he analyzes the current security situation in Germany and explains how it could be improved.”

Recent CEP Press Releases

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• Extremist Content Online: Nashville School Shooter’s Manifesto Spread on Several Platforms, Including White Supremacist Telegram Channels

United States

Fox News: Georgetown Probes Student Event Headlined By Convicted Terrorist; Advocates Demand It Be Canceled

“An anti-Israel student group at Georgetown University's law school planned to hold an event on campus headlined by a Palestinian terror group member convicted for his role in the killing of a 17-year-old Israeli girl. But the event was postponed by the university. Now, a Jewish legal advocacy group is calling on the law school to formally cancel the event. Flyers on campus, captured in images taken by a Georgetown law student and shared with Fox News Digital, show that Georgetown Law Students for Justice in Palestine organized an event with Ribhi Karajah for Feb. 11. "Palestinian Prisoners, an evening with Ribhi Karajah, student activist and former political prisoner," the flyer states, adding that Karajah will speak to students about his "arrest, detention, and torture in the Israeli military judicial system."”

USA Today: USAID Cuts Fallout: Wasted Food, 'Free-For-All' ISIS Camps, Less HIV Prevention

“Two months ago, Mang Hre Lian was on a stage in Washington being lauded by then-U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken for his courageous and inspiring work promoting human rights and religious freedom in Burma. Since Friday, the 2024 recipient of the State Department's Human Rights Defender Award has been roaming the same corridors of American power. Only now he's trying to convince U.S. policymakers his work matters. He has struggled to get what he called the "right meetings" to discuss the "crisis moment" for countries like his after President Donald Trump's executive order to freeze spending, pending a review, at the U.S. Agency for International Development.”

Syria

Reuters: Syrian Groups Must Disarm To Take Part In National Dialogue, Official Says

“Groups that refuse to lay down their arms and submit to the defence ministry's authority will play no part in a national dialogue on Syria's future, a committee set up to prepare for a national conference said on Thursday. The statement raises the prospect of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which hold much of northern and eastern Syria, being excluded from the national conference unless they disarm in line with the demands of the new Damascus government. The seven-member preparatory committee was launched on Thursday to lay the ground for the national conference, which interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa has said will produce a statement forming the basis of a constitutional declaration.”

Reuters: US Aid Cuts Risk Riots, Breakouts At Islamic State-Linked Camps In Syria

“Moves by President Donald Trump's administration to cut U.S. foreign aid funding risk destabilising two camps in northeastern Syria holding tens of thousands of people accused of affiliation with the Islamic State, aid officials, local authorities and diplomats say. The seven sources told Reuters Washington's funding freezes and staff changes had already disrupted some aid distribution and services in Al-Hol and Roj, which host people who fled cities where IS was making its last stand between 2017-2019. They are "closed camps," meaning residents were not detained or charged as IS fighters but cannot independently leave the camps because of suspicions that they are affiliated with or support the ultra-conservative group.”

Iran

Bloomberg: Hezbollah Supporters Converge On Beirut Airport Over Iran Flight

“Supporters of the militant group Hezbollah blocked the entrance to Beirut’s Rafic Hariri International Airport and surrounding roads after Lebanese authorities prohibited an Iranian plane from landing. The confrontation unfolded a day after the Israel Defense Forces accused Hezbollah, which is backed by Iran, and the Quds Force, a wing of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, of using Beirut-bound civilian flights to smuggle money. The protesters, some of whom held placards bearing photos and slogans championing the late leader Hassan Nasrallah, set tires alight, causing congestions near the airport. The Lebanese army stepped in to disperse the angry crowds and make the airport accessible, according to the state-run news agency NNA.”

Afghanistan

Voice Of America: Taliban Chief Claims Afghan Governance Rooted In Divine Commands

“The leader of Afghanistan’s governing radical Taliban has defended his policies, including banning female access to education and employment, asserting that they are derived from the “commands of Allah.” Hibatullah Akhundzada's assertions came days after the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court announced he was seeking arrest warrants for the reclusive Taliban leader, holding him “criminally responsible for persecuting Afghan girls and women.” A Taliban statement said that Akhundzada addressed teachers, staff and students at a public university in the southern province of Kandahar on Wednesday during his first known visit to a modern education institution, where he also discussed the significance of his edicts.”

Pakistan

Associated Press: A Roadside Bomb Struck A Vehicle Carrying Miners In Southwestern Pakistan, Killing 11 People

“A roadside bomb struck a vehicle carrying coal miners in restive southwest Pakistan on Friday, killing at least 11 people and wounding five others, officials said. The attack happened in Harnai, a district in Balochistan province, according to a government administrator Wali Kakar. He said police had transported the dead and wounded to a hospital and officers are still investigating. Wasim Baig, a spokesman at a hospital, said medics received nine bodies and two others who were critically wounded died at the hospital. He said at least two people were still listed in a critical condition. Authorities said the victims were from the country’s northwestern Swat Valley and other areas in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, which has witnessed a surge in militant attacks in recent years.”

Middle East

Reuters: Hamas Says It Is Willing To Move Ahead With Gaza Ceasefire

“Hamas signalled on Thursday that a crisis threatening to unravel an already fragile ceasefire in Gaza could be avoided even after trading accusations with Israel this week of ceasefire breaches. The 42-day ceasefire has appeared close to failure since Hamas on Monday unexpectedly announced it would stop releasing hostages, leading Israel to respond with a threat to return to war. Hamas said it did not want the deal to collapse, though it rejected what it called the "language of threats and intimidation" from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President Donald Trump. They have said the ceasefire should be cancelled if the hostages are not released.”

Reuters: Gaza Militant Groups Name Three Hostages To Be Released On Saturday

“Palestinian militant groups in Gaza said they would release hostages Iair Horn, U.S.-Israeli Sagui Dekel-Chen and Russian-Israeli Alexandre Sasha Troufanov on Saturday, in accordance with the terms of the ceasefire with Israel. The announcement, after days of uncertainty about whether the ceasefire agreed last month would hold, followed intense efforts by Egyptian and Qatari mediators to keep last month's U.S.-backed agreement on track. A statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said Israel accepted the list but that was later corrected to say Israel had received the list, which it said was a "purely factual description" that did not reflect any Israeli approach to the issue.”

United Kingdom

The Guardian: High Court To Hear Claim Of Secret Ireland-UK Terrorism Defence Pact

“A legal bid to establish whether or not the Irish government entered a secret pact with the UK to defend Irish airspace in the event of a terrorist attack will be heard in Ireland’s court of appeal on Friday. It comes as taoiseach Micheál Martin admits that Ireland’s defence spending, one of the lowest in Europe, “will have to rise amid escalating security threats” including marine subsea cable infrastructure. The hearing on Friday in the Irish court of appeal is the latest chapter in independent senator Gerard Craughwell’s three-year campaign to find out whether the Irish government has an agreement, rumoured to have been sealed after the terrorist attacks on the twin towers in New York in 2001, with the UK in the event of a hijacking or a terrorist attack in Irish airspace.”

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