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CEP Mentions
ZDF: Network in Germany - Pro-Palestine demonstrations: Also coordinated by Hamas?
The demonstrations also serve to mobilize people. Terrorism expert Hans-Jakob Schindler from the "Counter Extremism Project" think tank is convinced. From the beginning, this was an integral part of Hamas' strategy. These demonstrations were not spontaneous, but part of a relatively well thought-out tactic. The expert emphasizes that it must be possible to criticize the Israeli government. "But what took place here was a glorification of a pogrom-like act of terror," says Schindler. In April 2025, pro-Palestinian activists occupy the Emil Fischer lecture hall at Berlin's Humboldt University. The rector tries to de-escalate the situation, but in the end the police clear the place. The result: property damage of up to 100,000 euros and 100 investigations. In recent months, such pro-Palestine actions rarely seem to be a spontaneous expression of political anger - rather an expression of a targeted strategy by Hamas activists and their sympathizers. There are clear references to the terrorist organization in the occupation: slogans such as "From the River to the Sea" and banners with red triangles - a Hamas symbol used to mark targets - dominate the scene.
Express: Hamas terror in Europe? Trial in Berlin shakes up the secret services
Terrorism expert Hans-Jakob Schindler warns in the NZZ: "The fact that the group targeted the well-attended park suggests that they may have been toying with the idea of committing a mass attack." The process not only reveals plans - it shows a strategic U-turn. Europe is apparently no longer a place of retreat for Hamas - but a target for attack. The organization is under pressure in Gaza. Israel strikes back after the massacre on October 7. On the defensive, Hamas is now apparently looking for a "counter-attack" - in the cities of Europe. "As Israel's second-largest arms supplier, Germany is a logical target," says Schindler. "In the terrorist organization's mind, attacks could be a way to break Germany's solidarity with Israel."
Analysis
Rabdan Security and Defence Institute: The Current Terrorist Threat Matrix in Europe: A Trend Overview
The interplay of multifaceted crises, a growing societal polarization, and a diminishing capacity to counter extremism, which frequently appears in non-violent forms, have a significant impact on the evolution of ideologically motivated, extremist violence. At the same time, ongoing conflicts within the Euro-strategic security environment continue to exacerbate terrorism in Europe. The wars in Ukraine and Gaza, abrupt regime change in Syria, political instability across substantial parts of the Middle East and North Africa region, and other significant regional developments pose undeniable, yet unpredictable, challenges to European security.
Jewish Chronicle: American antisemitism is ever more violent – from the left as well as the right
Conventional wisdom has long considered violent American antisemitism a problem of the political Right. By contrast, any antisemitism on the Left was deemed rare, mild, and non-violent. But oh, it’s long past time to revise that received wisdom. Not long after Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro’s family and first-Seder guests may have read the Haggadah’s warning that “in every generation they rise up against us to destroy us,” the sleeping Shapiros were targeted. Local man Cody Balmer reportedly told a 911-operator he’d firebombed the governor’s mansion very early Sunday. According to the search warrant, Balmer wanted Shapiro “to know that he ‘will not take part in his plans for what he wants to do to the Palestinian people.’” Balmer added that Shapiro “needs to stop having my friends killed, and ‘our people have been put through too much by that monster.’” Balmer further planned to hurt Shapiro “with his hammer” if they met face-to-face.
United States
Reuters: US brings first terrorism charges against alleged Venezuelan gang member
The U.S. on Wednesday added terrorism-related charges to its criminal case against an alleged high-ranking member of Tren de Aragua, the first time U.S. authorities have used those charges against the Venezuelan street gang. Jose Enrique Martinez Flores was charged in a new indictment with conspiring to provide and providing material support to a foreign terrorist organization, according to a court filing.
Reuters: US deports Iraqi man at centre of debate on refugee policy
The United States has deported to Rwanda a resettled Iraqi refugee who it long tried to extradite in response to Iraqi government claims that he worked for the Islamic State, according to a U.S. official and an internal email. Omar Abdulsattar Ameen, who was granted refugee status in the U.S. in 2014, denied Iraqi charges that he murdered a police officer as an IS operative, and a judge found in 2021 that the version of events in the case against him was "not plausible".
Canada
Toronto Star: Toronto man arrested in suspected hate crime involving firearm and alleged neo-Nazi-related vandalism
Police have arrested a 25-year-old man in a suspected hate-motivated firearm incident in the North Toronto area earlier this month. Officers responded to a radio call on April 15 near Mount Pleasant Road and Eglinton Avenue East.
European Union
Die ZEIT: How a state hacker group from Iran tried to spy on a German MEP
According to the ZEIT, the identity that was misused to contact Neumann's office in Brussels was that of Matthew Levitt, a former FBI investigator and government employee from the USA, who now researches terrorism and extremism at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy and with whom Neumann, as she herself says, has actually had contact on several occasions. The hackers had sent a credible-looking email in his name asking whether the EU politician wanted to give a lecture at a conference of the Washington Institute. The request, topic and sender's email address looked familiar, and so a lengthy communication about this alleged conference ensued between an employee from Neumann's office and the supposed researcher from the USA. The attackers even made phone calls in fluent English to the employee. Levitt had nothing to do with any of this. Levitt left inquiries from DIE ZEIT unanswered. But in July 2024, he wrote on Platform X that Iranian hackers had already misused his identity for such attacks.
France
Reuters: Court overturns French decision to cut funding to biggest Muslim school
An administrative court on Wednesday overturned France's decision to cut government funding to the country's biggest Muslim high school in 2023, in what rights groups say is part of a wider crackdown on Muslim schools. Private school Averroes, the first Muslim high school to open in mainland France in 2003 in the northern city of Lille, had 800 pupils in 2023 and had been under contract with the state since 2008. Pupils follow the regular French curriculum, and are also offered religion classes.
Germany
Deutsche Welle: Sachsenhausen concentration camp: Nazi terror near Berlin
When the liberators reached the Sachsenhausen concentration camp, they encountered around 3,000 prisoners, nurses and doctors. For around 300 of the prisoners, however, the Polish and Soviet soldiers had come too late. They died shortly afterwards as a result of the brutal treatment by the Nazis. The evacuation of the concentration camp located north of Berlin had already begun the day before. More than 30,000 prisoners were sent on death marches by the fleeing Nazis, and several thousand did not survive the agony. In total, at least 200,000 people from around 40 countries were imprisoned in Sachsenhausen and numerous satellite camps between 1936 and 1945. By the end of World War II, tens of thousands had died — from hunger, disease, abuse, medical experiments and forced labor. In the fall of 1941 alone, at least 10,000 Soviet prisoners of war, including many Jews, were murdered in a specially designed execution gallery or gassed in modified trucks.
Reuters: Germany halts Afghan refugee admission flights pending new government decision
Germany's outgoing government has suspended flights for voluntary admissions of Afghan refugees for two weeks pending a decision by the next government on how to proceed, the foreign ministry said on Wednesday. Earlier this month, the future governing coalition of conservatives and Social Democrats (SPD) agreed to curb irregular migration, reflecting a mounting public backlash after several violent attacks by migrants as well as increasing pressure on housing and other infrastructure.
United Kingdom
Reuters: UK lifts sanctions against Syria's defence ministry and intelligence agencies
Britain on Thursday lifted assets freezes on Syria's defence and interior ministries, and a range of intelligence agencies, reversing sanctions imposed during Bashar al-Assad's presidency. The West is rethinking its approach to Syria after insurgent forces led by the Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham ousted Assad as president in December after more than 13 years of civil war. A notice posted online by the British finance ministry said the Syrian Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Defence and General Intelligence Directorate were among 12 entities no longer subject to an asset freeze. The notice did not set out reasons for the de-listing. In March, the government unfroze the assets of Syria's central bank and 23 other entities including banks and oil companies.
The Scotland Sun: TEEN 'TERROR' RAP Scots schoolgirl, 15, charged with six terrorism offences including ‘being member of extremist group’
A SCOTS schoolgirl has appeared in court facing multiple terrorism charges, including allegations of membership in an extremist group. The 15-year-old, from Dundee, stands accused of six separate offences under the Terrorism Act 2000 and the Terrorism Act 2006.
Jerusalem Post: 'October 7 pulled us further from a two-state solution,’ Israeli, British experts tell UK committee
The UK's Foreign Affairs Committee held an evidence session hearing involving, among others, an Israeli opposition politician, as part of its inquiry into the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The committee, which took place on Tuesday, heard from Yesh Atid MK Shelly Tal Meron, the legal director of UK Lawyers for Israel, Natasha Hausdorff, and British journalist Jonathan Sacerdoti.
Egypt
Jerusalem Post: Egypt offers new ceasefire proposal aiming for five year Israel-Hamas truce
Egypt has allegedly prepared a new proposal for a hostage-ceasefire deal expected to be presented to Israel and Hamas by the end of the week, according to a Thursday report by the Saudi-owned channel Asharq News, citing sources familiar with the matter. According to the report, the new proposal will meet both Israel's and Hamas's demands in a "balanced" manner and will aim to establish a long-term truce between the sides that could potentially last between five and seven years. To ensure a truce between the two parties, the agreement would involve guarantees from regional and international parties to "ensure the fulfillment of mutual obligation," the report added.
Jordan
New York Times: Jordan Announced a Sweeping Ban on the Muslim Brotherhood. Here’s What to Know.
The announcement on Wednesday came a week after Jordanian security services said that they had arrested 16 people accused of threatening national security with weapons and explosives, and plans to make drones. The Jordanian interior minister, Mazin Al Farrayeh, suggested in a news conference that the plot was connected to the group, saying that “elements of the Muslim Brotherhood” had “worked in darkness to carry out activities that undermine stability and tamper with security and national unity.” This is not the first time that Jordan has moved against the group. In 2016, Jordan closed the Muslim Brotherhood’s headquarters in Amman, the capital, and in 2020, a court took steps toward disbanding the group. But the Islamic Action Front was allowed to continue operations.
Israel
Times of Israel: Israel marks Holocaust Remembrance Day under shadow of ongoing Gaza hostage crisis
Israel marked its annual Holocaust Remembrance Day with a series of ceremonies both in the country and in Poland, with grief for the six million Jews murdered by the Nazis and laments over the plight of dozens of people held hostage in the Gaza Strip. Holocaust survivors drew parallels between their experiences and the events of October 7, 2023, when the Palestinian terror group Hamas led over 5,000 terrorists in a devastating invasion of southern Israel. The terrorists slaughtered 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducted 251 as hostages, of whom 59 are still in captivity.
Times of Israel: ‘I tried to accept death’: Freed hostage recounts abduction, captivity and release
Whether the threat was abusive Hamas guards, hunger, illness or Israeli strikes, there were moments during Tal Shoham‘s 505 days of captivity at the hands of terrorists in Gaza when he didn’t think he’d be alive the next morning. There were “many times that I separated from life and… tried to accept death,” the 40-year-old Israeli, who also holds Austrian citizenship, told The Associated Press. “There are so many ways to die there.”
Times of Israel: IDF says strike targeted Hamas, Islamic Jihad terrorists in north Gaza command center
The IDF and Shin Bet said Thursday an airstrike in northern Gaza’s Jabalia targeted a group of Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad operatives at a command center used by the terror groups. Palestinian media reported that the strike targeted Jabalia’s former police station, and that at least nine people were killed. According to the IDF, the site was used by the terror operatives to plan and carry out attacks on Israeli civilians and troops.
Times of Israel: Settlers accused of attacking Palestinians, torching buildings in West Bank village
Israeli settlers rampaged through a Palestinian town in the northern West Bank overnight, setting fires and attacking residents, a security source said Thursday, amid what Palestinians say is a campaign of intimidation to push them off their land. Two residents of Bardala were lightly injured by gunfire from the attackers, a local resident told The Times of Israel. No arrests were reported and there was no official comment from Israeli authorities.
Jerusalem Post: Hamas terrorist given seven years in prison for pre-October 7 attack plans
Former Hamas member Muhammad Masri was sentenced on Thursday to seven-and-a-half years in prison for being part of a terrorist organization and working towards terrorist goals - before the Hamas October 7 massacre attack. The court said it took into account this fact - that he wasn’t tied to the attacks - and that he willingly turned himself in to Israeli authorities, in its sentencing.
Jerusalem Post: 'Post' reveals: Why and how Israel missed its chance to strike Iran's nuclear sites – exclusive
On April 13-14, 2024, Iran changed the Middle East forever, ending a decades-long covert shadow war with Israel by openly and directly attacking Israel with 180 ballistic missiles, 170 drones, and dozens of cruise missiles. Israel responded on April 19, 2024, by attacking one S-300 anti-aircraft defense system, which was protecting the Islamic Republic’s nuclear facility in Isfahan. The Jewish state never seriously considered attacking Iran’s nuclear sites in April 2024 like it did in October 2024, but that first direct round between the sides set the stage for the more dramatic follow-up.
Lebanon
Naharnet: Hezbollah MP calls for equipping army before discussing group's arms
Hezbollah MP Hussein Jishi stressed Thursday that “the arms of the resistance are what liberated the land and ousted the enemy.” “We agree that our national army is the side concerned with protecting the country and preventing the enemy from attacking us, but we must work on equipping the army with all the necessary capabilities so that it can perform the needed missions, and only then the issue of arms should be raised,” Jishi added.
Reuters: Lebanon reprimands Iran envoy over comments on Hezbollah disarmament
Lebanon's foreign ministry reprimanded Tehran's ambassador to Beirut on Thursday over comments alleging that plans to disarm Iran-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah were a "conspiracy". Hezbollah is under mounting pressure to relinquish its arsenal after a 2024 conflict with Israel badly weakened it and left much of southern Lebanon in ruins.
Syria
Jerusalem Post: Syria is willing to join the Abraham Accords, al-Sharaa says
Syria is willing to join the Abraham Accords under the correct conditions, Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa told US Representative Cory Mills in a meeting on Saturday. In a Thursday Bloomberg article, the US Republican representative from Florida said he held talks with the former leader of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham regarding economic sanctions and peace between Damascus and Jerusalem. He told Bloomberg that he would deliver a letter from al-Sharaa to US President Donald Trump, adding that he planned to brief him on his conversation when he returned to Washington. Mills reported that he sat down with the Syrian president for 90 minutes and laid out the Trump administration's demands in order for sanctions against Damascus to be lifted. Some of the demands included dismantling all chemical weapons left over from the Assad era as well as countering foreign terror groups within its borders.
Kazakhstan
The Times of Central Asia: Tokayev Warns of Rising Extremism and Erosion of Global Norms at Assembly Speech
President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has warned of a global resurgence of extremist ideologies and populist rhetoric, citing a crisis of confidence that has weakened international law and institutions. Speaking at the 34th session of the Assembly of the People of Kazakhstan (APK), Tokayev addressed both foreign and domestic challenges facing the country, while emphasizing the importance of national unity and interethnic harmony. “We have become a more modern and advanced society. This evolution places new demands on our model of social harmony. Methods that worked yesterday may no longer be applicable today,” Tokayev said in his address, urging a critical review of past achievements and failures to avoid regression.
Iran
Times of Israel: As Iran fortifies nuke sites, US says it can have civilian nuclear program if no enrichment
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Wednesday that US President Donald Trump is determined to prevent Iran from attaining a nuclear weapon, and would prefer to do that by negotiations as opposed to military means. However, he said the US would be willing to see Tehran have a civilian nuclear program as long as it was not enriching uranium. “We do not want a war,” Rubio told Bari Weiss on her Honestly podcast.
Tajikistan
The Times of Central Asia: Tajikistan Launches Program to Reintegrate Convicted Extremists into Society
Tajik authorities have launched a state-backed program aimed at reintegrating citizens convicted of extremism and terrorism into peaceful civilian life. The initiative, which will run from 2025 to 2029, seeks to reduce the likelihood of re-engagement with radical movements and support the return of these individuals to society.
Yemen
Times of Israel: Houthis look to use deadly US strikes to boost propaganda
As America’s escalated bombing campaign and economic sanctions hit Yemen hard, the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Washington’s crosshairs are trying to mine the situation for propaganda and recruitment, analysts have said. On Monday, four days after 80 people were killed in US strikes on a fuel port, the Houthis released a slick promotional video showing special forces marching over the Israeli flag and somersaulting through flaming hoops.
ABC News: Houthis shoot down growing number of US drones
Three U.S. Air Force MQ-9 Reaper drones have been shot down by Houthi militants in Yemen this past week, bringing the number of drones that have been brought down by the Houthis since March 15, when the Trump administration began a sustained air campaign against the militant group, to six, according to a U.S. official. Since the start of the air operation, the U.S. military has provided few details about the airstrike campaign against the Houthis that the Trump administration has described being much larger than anything undertaken during the Biden administration. The Trump administration has said the intent of the airstrike campaign is for the Houthis to cease their attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea region.
The Arab Weekly: Yemen’s Houthis seek propaganda and recruitment dividends from US strikes
As America’s escalated bombing campaign and economic sanctions hit Yemen hard, the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Washington’s crosshairs are trying to mine the situation for propaganda and recruitment, analysts said. On Monday, four days after 80 people were killed in US strikes on a fuel port, the Houthis released a slick promotional video showing special forces marching over the Israeli flag and somersaulting through flaming hoops.
India
NBC News: India vows to ‘punish every terrorist’ after deadly attack
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi vowed to “track and punish every terrorist” of an attack in Indian-controlled Kashmir that killed at least 26 people, most of them tourists. India accused Pakistan of supporting “cross-border terrorism” and imposed diplomatic measures, including closing the main land border crossing with Pakistan.
Associated Press: India blames Pakistan for a deadly attack in disputed Kashmir and suspends a key water treaty
India blamed Pakistan on Wednesday for a militant attack that killed 26 people in Indian-held Kashmir, downgrading diplomatic ties and suspending a crucial water-sharing treaty that has withstood two wars between the nuclear-armed rivals. The spray of gunfire at tourists Tuesday in a scenic, mountain-ringed valley was the worst assault in years targeting civilians in the restive region that is claimed by both countries. The unidentified gunmen also wounded 17 other people.
Times of India: Shah Rukh Khan's powerful message against terrorism and extremism resurfaces following Pahalgam attack- WATCH Video
Following the tragic terror attack in Pahalgam, an old interview featuring Shah Rukh Khan has resurfaced, where he cautions against associating religious or national labels with extremism. Khan emphasizes that an extremist is simply an extremist, regardless of their national background.
The New Indian Express: Venomous fangs of terror will be crushed with unyielding resolve: CM Yogi after meeting UP victim's kin
Reiterating the government's zero-tolerance policy towards terrorism, UP CM Yogi Adityanath said that the Pahalgam massacre would prove to be the last nail in the coffin of terrorism. “This government will crush the venomous fangs of terror with absolute and unyielding resolve,” asserted the CM who paid his last respects to Shubham Dwivedi and consoled the bereaved family in Kanpur on Thursday.
Pakistan
Arab News: Punjab to track listed extremists with GPS devices amid rising militant violence in Pakistan
Amid an uptick in militant attacks in Pakistan, authorities in Punjab have approved the use of electronic tracking devices to monitor individuals listed under the country’s Fourth Schedule as security risks, the provincial home department said on Thursday.
Dawn: Extremist influence shapes India’s posture: Gen Hayat
Former Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee retired Gen Zubair Mahmood Hayat on Wednesday cautioned that the extremist influence on India’s strategic posture could destabilise the region. Speaking at the conference on ‘Nuclear Deterrence in the Age of Emerging Technologies’, hosted by the Centre for International Strategic Studies (CISS), Gen Hayat described India as “the only nuclear-armed state governed by an extremist ideology”.
Benin
BBC: Benin admits that 54 soldiers killed in attack by al-Qaeda group
Benin's government has admitted that 54 soldiers were killed by suspected jihadists in the country's north last week near the borders with Burkina Faso and Niger. The authorities had previously said that only eight soldiers were killed. The revised figure makes it the deadliest known attack since insurgents began operating in northern Benin at the beginning of the decade.
Australia
Nine News: Screams, punch thrown as far-right agitators disrupt candidates' forum
Independent MP Monique Ryan intervened after a punch was thrown as far-right agitators gatecrashed a political forum in Melbourne's south-east. Locals were hearing from their Kooyong candidates — Ryan, Clive Crosby from Labor and Jackie Carter from the Greens — speak about the state of the media at Kew Library yesterday evening, when three men entered the room.
Technology
Spiegel International: “Good Hunting”: Right Wing Extremist Chats Flourishing on Telegram
He goes by “Hunter” on the messaging app Telegram. And the young German makes no secret of his political orientation. He's from a "NatSoc Family," he claims, writing in English – a family with national-socialist sympathies. Where they live in the German state of Saxony, he writes, there are fewer “non-whites” than in western Germany, and the far right is gaining ground, “especially the militant scene.” In a chat with a Telegram user claiming to share his views, “Hunter” goes into detail. He writes that he is training a group of teenagers and young men between 13 and 25 and posts photos of them marching in camouflage. Sometimes, they drive to Poland or the Czech Republic, apparently for target practice. He is planning to conduct detonation tests in the woods with a mixture of diesel and manure, he claims. His role model: Timothy McVeigh, the man who blew up a federal building in the US state of Oklahoma in 1995.
T-Online: Neo-Nazis recruit on TikTok - Deadly role models
Pupils, teenagers and young adults are increasingly being drawn into the far-right scene on social networks such as TikTok. Right-wing extremist influencers are already luring under 14-year-olds with right-wing slogans or bizarre-looking "explanatory videos". This is apparently co-organized by former Nazis who have already made a criminal appearance and also played a role in the National Socialist Underground (NSU) trial. This is the result of t-online research. The scene is now increasingly shifting from the Internet to the streets. Experts warn of dangerous second "baseball bat years". How were old Nazis, who no longer played a major role in the scene, able to gain so much influence again? And what role does TikTok play in this? The strategies of the right are a cause for concern. It's reminiscent of the old days. A good 40 men and a few women meet on a market square in Schwerin on March 29, 2025. They are wearing combat boots and bomber jackets, their heads are often shaved. In their hands are posters with the words "Aryan Circle" or "Germany, my homeland". Reich flags can be seen several times. There are a noticeably large number of young people at the demonstration. Many are not of age, some appear to be around 14 years old.
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