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CEP Mentions
WTOP: The Hunt: Why did the Brown University shooter choose that location?
On this week’s episode of “The Hunt with WTOP National Security Correspondent J.J. Green,” Dr. Hans Jakob-Schindler, senior director at the Counter Extremism Project, says terrorists covet open locations for attacks.
Wall Street Journal: How the Global Threat From ISIS Lives On, Years After Its Caliphate Fell
“The online sphere is 100% key to these attacks,” said Hans-Jakob Schindler, the former coordinator of the United Nations Security Council’s panel on Islamic State and al Qaeda. […] The man then connected online with Islamic State sympathizers and spread extremist content, he added. Acting on the group’s advice available online, he bought a kitchen knife—rather than one that might draw officials’ notice—and stabbed the victims’ necks to increase the likelihood they would die, said Schindler, who is now senior director at the Counter Extremism Project, a nonprofit that combats extremist ideologies.
Cipher Brief: What Would Follow a Muslim Brotherhood Terrorist Designation?
“Hamas was founded as the Egyptian arm of the Muslim Brotherhood and has made this very clear in its Charter of 1987,” Hans-Jakob Schindler, Senior Director of the Counter Extremism Project, tells The Cipher Brief. “The political statement of Hamas of 2017 did not mention this link specifically, but it also did not state that Hamas would be independent. Hence, Hamas remains part of the Muslim Brotherhood network.”
BR24: Attack plans in Lower Bavaria: Suspect known as Islamist
Outside Europe, the Muslim Brotherhood's fundamental relationship to violence is tactical in nature, and the organization is always prepared to use violence to achieve its goals, says terrorism expert Hans-Jakob Schindler from the research organization Counter Extremism Project. The terrorist group Hamas, for example, is the Palestinian offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood.
Analysis
Jerusalem Post: Syrian government, Kurdish-led SDF edge closer toward security agreement – analysis
There are increasing reports from Syria that the Syrian government in Damascus and the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces in eastern Syria are inching toward progress in integrating their security forces. However, as of noon on December 18, there was still no clear confirmation of any deal. This follows a year of talks.
Times of Israel: Terror attacks from Bondi to Boston show family ties behind deadly extremism
Father and son Sajid and Naveed Akram, who opened fire on a Hanukkah gathering at Australia’s Bondi Beach Sunday, killing 15, are far from being the only ones to carry out deadly terror while operating as a family. Recent examples include brothers Dzhokhar and Tamerlan Tsarnaev, who bombed the 2013 Boston Marathon, and siblings Cherif and Said Kouachi, who were behind the January 2015 terror attack on the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo.
The Atlantic: What’s Behind the ISIS Attack in Syria
Last Saturday, an Islamic State infiltrator ambushed a meeting between American soldiers and their local counterparts in a Syrian desert town. Two members of the Iowa National Guard and a U.S. civilian interpreter were killed in the assault—whose perpetrator may or may not have known that the subject of the meeting was how to counter ISIS. The incident didn’t just illustrate the danger of extremists hiding within Syria’s new security forces. It points to a broader problem: Outside of the country’s capital, there is still virtually no state in Syria, and the obstacles to building a new one—poverty, social and religious divisions, foreign interference—are so large that the effort could take decades.
United States
Reuters: Rubio says US sanctioning ICC judges for targeting Israel
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Thursday that the U.S. was sanctioning two judges of the International Criminal Court for targeting Israel. "Today, I am designating two International Criminal Court (ICC) judges, Gocha Lordkipanidze of Georgia and Erdenebalsuren Damdin of Mongolia, pursuant to Executive Order 14203," Rubio said in a statement, referring to the order President Donald Trump signed in February sanctioning the ICC.
Jerusalem Post: Ben Shapiro denounces Tucker Carlson at Heritage, urges policing of conservative movement
Ben Shapiro walked onto a Heritage Foundation stage Wednesday and used it to draw a line against Tucker Carlson and a strain of conservatism Shapiro warned is drifting toward conspiracy theories and antisemitism. For a talk that lasted about an hour, Shapiro, one of the most prominent Jewish voices on the American right, denounced Carlson by name, arguing that the former Fox News host no longer belongs inside the conservative movement and urging the institution hosting him to enforce what he called “ideological border control.”
The Guardian: Inside DoJ’s controversial prosecution of a Texas ‘antifa cell’ charged with terrorism
After the assassination of Charlie Kirk in September, Donald Trump and others pledged a no-holds barred crackdown on leftwing activists. “We have radical left lunatics out there and we just have to beat the hell out of them,” Trump said after Kirk’s shooting. Top White House officials, including JD Vance and Stephen Miller, repeatedly publicly vowed that a crackdown was coming. In particular, the government focused on “Antifa.” short for antifascist, is not an organization but rather an ideology that broadly describes a variety of left-leaning beliefs.
Jewish Insider: House resolution calls for safeguards to address antisemitism in artificial intelligence
A bipartisan group of House members is introducing a resolution that sets out recommendations for tackling the spread of antisemitism through artificial intelligence models and highlights the ways those programs have been used to spread a variety of forms of anti-Jewish hate.
Jewish Insider: Bipartisan House group reintroduces bill to aid Title VI complaints on campus antisemitism
A bipartisan group of House members is re-introducing the Protecting Students on Campus Act on Thursday, legislation that aims to assist students facing discrimination in filing federal civil rights complaints and requiring greater transparency from colleges about complaints they receive.
Jewish Insider: Coast Guard ‘provided assurances’ swastikas would be banned before flip flop, Lankford spokesperson says
A spokesperson for Sen. James Lankford (R-OK), a co-chair of the Senate antisemitism task force, told Jewish Insider on Wednesday that the Coast Guard had assured Lankford in recent weeks that the service would be correcting its policy to make clear that swastikas would be banned — before reverting this week to a policy that had prompted criticism from Lankford and other lawmakers.
KCRA 3: Elk Grove woman sentenced to prison after admitting to leading terrorist groupv
An Elk Grove woman will spend three decades in prison after she admitted to leading a transnational terrorist group that solicited hate crimes and called for the murder of federal officials, the U.S. Department of Justice said on Wednesday. Dallas Humber, 35, was the leader of the Terrorgram Collective. According to the Anti-Defamation League, the group was a network of white supremacists and neo-Nazis who wanted to incite a race war and accelerate the collapse of society.
Cincinnati Enquirer: 'No Nazis in Glendale.' Residents hold vigil to protest their neighbor
After residents of a Greater Cincinnati suburb discovered their neighbor joined what is being called a neo-Nazi march earlier this month, they responded with a vigil.
Indiana Daily Student: Bloomington man cited after participating in neo-Nazi protest in Arkansas
On Saturday, Dec. 6, Bloomington resident Zachary Platter was cited after participating in a neo-Nazi protest in Little Rock, Arkansas. The neo-Nazi group marched in front of the Arkansas State Capitol and Little Rock Central High School, a civil rights site.
EdSource: Judge weighs arguments on whether new antisemitism law will tread on teachers’ rights
A federal judge on Wednesday sharply questioned the attorney seeking a preliminary injunction to stop the enactment of an antisemitism law that the Legislature passed in October. While acknowledging “great respect” both for the public school teachers’ desire to address complex issues involving the Israeli- Palestinian conflict and the state’s challenge to ensure a safe environment without discrimination for Jewish students, U.S. District Court Judge Noël Wise did not issue a ruling during a hearing in San Jose.
Boston Herald: State leaders highlight antisemitism report, urge implementation
Expressing devastation over the antisemitic attack in Australia and newfound urgency to combat Jewish hatred, top state leaders gathered Wednesday to commit to implementing a bevy of recommendations to root out antisemitism in Massachusetts. The state’s Special Commission on Combating Antisemitism released its report on Dec. 1, offering a blueprint for navigating discrimination in areas like K-12 schools, higher education, law enforcement and public safety, and workplace settings, including health care.
Canada
Juno News: Toronto business owner charged after sharing neo-Nazi conspiracy flyers
A Toronto business owner has been arrested and charged with wilfully promoting hatred after flyers were made available at his business, which promoted long-debunked and antisemitic conspiracy theories. Toronto Police Services announced in a news release on Tuesday that police arrested and charged Oliver Couto, 62, after charges were laid following a police call to the Bloor Street West and Lansdown Avenue area on January 2, where Couto allegedly disseminated flyers promoting hatred against members of the Jewish community.
Finland
Reuters: Finland's far-right party reprimands two MPs over racism scandal
Finland's far-right Finns Party said on Thursday it had reprimanded two of its lawmakers who posted derogatory images widely seen as offensive to Asians. The incident is the latest in a series of cases in which members of the Finns Party, a junior partner in the governing coalition, have been accused of posting or making racist remarks.
Germany
Associated Press: Germany charges teens in alleged right-wing extremist group with attempted murder
Germany’s federal prosecutor brought charges Thursday against eight suspects for their alleged membership in a “right-wing extremist terrorist” group that allegedly aimed to destabilize the country’s democratic system by carrying out attacks on migrants and political opponents. The prosecutors also charged the seven alleged members and one supporter of the group, some of them teenagers, of attempted murder, conspiracy to commit murder, and grievous bodily harm.
United Kingdom
CBS News: U.K. police forces announce "more assertive" approach to tackle antisemitism during protests
Britain's two biggest police forces announced Wednesday that officers would take an "enhanced approach" to counter antisemitism, arresting protesters who use certain slogans and phrases, in response to a surge in hate crimes targeting Jewish people in the United Kingdom.
Reuters: Families of jailed pro-Palestinian activists on hunger strike urge UK government to act
Families, lawyers and supporters of the detained pro-Palestinian activists who are on hunger strike in Britain issued an urgent plea to the government on Thursday, warning that their loved ones face life-threatening danger. Eight people have joined the hunger strike, some from its start in early November, and lawyers said the health of the remaining six, aged 20-31, was deteriorating and that death was likely unless the government intervenes. One of the six is on partial hunger strike due to diabetes-related health concerns.
The Telegraph: One in five terror arrests are children
A record number of children have been arrested for terror-related offences in the past year, official figures show. Amid fears that children are being radicalised online, the number of 17-year-olds arrested over potential involvement in terrorism increased from 32 in the year to September 2024 to 53, the highest total on record, according to Home Office data. The youngest was 13.
Jerusalem Post: BBC faces backlash for calling First Intifada 'largely unarmed and popular uprising'
The BBC received backlash for referring to the First Intifada as a "largely unarmed and popular uprising," in an article on Wednesday. The wording appeared in a piece about the UK Police's decision to arrest those who chant 'Globalize the Intifada' at a protest in the UK, in light of the antisemitic terror attack in Bondi Beach on Sunday.
Jerusalem Post: Immediate action: Four arrested in London for Globalize the Intifada chants at Palestine protest
Four individuals were arrested for chanting 'Globalize the Intifada' during a Palestine Coalition protest in London on Wednesday night, almost immediately after the British government introduced the new crackdown.
Homeland Security Today: UK Police Charge Man for Alleged Support for October 7 Terrorist Attacks
Officers investigating an incident where a man was alleged to have expressed support for the October 7th attacks and Hamas during a demonstration at Swiss Cottage have secured charges against him. Mohamed Hassn, also known as Mohamed Al-Mail, 27 (24.12.97) of Unwin Way, Stanmore has been charged with intentionally causing racially aggravated harassment, alarm or distress contrary to Section 4A of the Public Order Act 1998 and Section 31 of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998.
BBC: Man refused bail for role in planned mosque attack
A County Down man charged with terrorism offences linked to a planned attack on a mosque has been refused bail for "playing a role" in a group identifying itself as the Irish Defence Army (IDA). Connor Pollock, 38, of Croob Park in Ballynahinch, appeared in Downpatrick Magistrate's Court via video-link from HMP Maghaberry, charged with withholding information about the preparation of a terrorist act.
Arab News: Terrorism arrests in UK surged by 660% after Palestine Action ban
Arrests for terrorism offenses in the UK have spiked by a massive 660 percent year-on-year due to support for Palestine Action, new government figures show.
Russia
Reuters: Russia jails man for 22 years for blowing up trains in Siberia at Ukraine's behest
A Belarusian man accused by Russia's FSB security service of blowing up two trains in Siberia on the orders of Ukraine's intelligence services was jailed for 22 years on Thursday by a military court. Sergei Yeremeyev was found guilty of carrying out an act of terrorism and of planting explosives on two freight trains in 2023, one of which was travelling through Russia's longest conventional rail tunnel at the time, the General Prosecutor said in a statement.
Afghanistan
Afghanistan International: Afghan Asylum Seekers Deported From Iran Killed By Taliban
According to findings by Afghanistan International, Afghan asylum seekers have faced arbitrary detention and targeted killings after being deported from Iran. An examination of multiple cases shows such incidents have occurred repeatedly. Families of those killed accuse the Taliban of murdering returned asylum seekers.
Dawn: Kabul’s claim of denying militants safe haven called into question
A United Nations Security Council report has rejected the Taliban’s claim that terrorist groups are not using Afghan territory for cross-border violence, calling the assertion “not credible” and warning that neighbouring states increasingly view Afghanistan as a source of regional insecurity.
Afghanistan International: Taliban Leader’s Decrees Not Enforced Uniformly Across Afghanistan, Says UN
Anew report by the United Nations Security Council says decrees issued by Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada are not implemented uniformly across Afghanistan. The report stated that powerful figures within the group, including members of the Haqqani network, able to act independently.
Afghanistan International: Taliban Army Chief Warns Of ‘Several-Fold’ Response To Any Aggression
Fasihuddin Fitrat, the Taliban’s army chief, has said the group will respond “several times over” to any aggression against Afghanistan and is seeking to equip its forces with modern weapons. In a statement issued on Thursday, the Taliban Ministry of Defence said Fitrat met with media representatives, political analysts and a number of Taliban officials to discuss coordination and strengthen cooperation.
Afghanistan International: Taliban Opposition Fronts Carried Out 116 Attacks, Says UN
The United Nations Security Council says Taliban opposition groups carried out 116 attacks between January and July 2025, but that the violence remains sporadic and does not pose a serious threat to Taliban rule. In its report, the Security Council said the National Resistance Front (NRF) claimed responsibility for 73 attacks during the period, while the Afghanistan Freedom Front (AFF) claimed 43.
Afghanistan International: Taliban Publicly Flog 18 Individuals In Kabul
The Taliban Supreme Court said at least 18 people in Kabul have been publicly flogged on charges related to drug trafficking and sales. In a statement issued on Thursday, the court said the Kabul primary counter-narcotics court sentenced the individuals to between 10 and 39 lashes and prison terms ranging from seven months to three years. The charges included selling and trafficking tablet K, methamphetamine, hashish and alcoholic beverages.
Gaza Strip/West Bank
Times of Israel: Six countries have committed to joining Trump’s Board of Peace, say officials
The US is telling interlocutors that it has secured commitments from Egypt, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, Italy and Germany to have their leaders join US President Donald Trump on the Board of Peace that will oversee the postwar management of Gaza, four officials familiar with the matter told The Times of Israel.
Times of Israel: Israel says famine monitor did not seek aid facilitators’ input for upcoming Gaza report
An upcoming report by a UN-backed famine monitor on the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip does not include input or responses from the Israeli body responsible for coordinating the entry of goods into the enclave, the unit said Wednesday. According to the Defense Ministry’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories, or COGAT, the IPC famine monitoring organization failed to contact it or the US-led Civil-Military Coordination Center for relevant information, with the report ostensibly set to be published this week.
Iraq
The Media Line: Iraq Arrests 6 Islamic State Terrorists in Coordinated Raids
Iraq’s counter-terrorism forces arrested six suspected members of the Islamic State (IS) terror group on Wednesday as part of a coordinated effort to target the group and dismantle its cells in several areas of Iraq, Rudaw, an independent Iraqi media outlet, reports. According to the Counter-Terrorism Service (CTS), the arrests and raids were conducted in cooperation with the Iraqi National Intelligence Service following what officials described as detailed intelligence collection and sustained field monitoring. The operations targeted individuals accused of supporting IS sleeper cells and infrastructure used by the group after its territorial defeat.
Israel
Jerusalem Post: Netanyahu to lead team shaping probe into October 7 massacre, Israel's security failures
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will lead a ministerial team tasked with determining the mandate and scope of a coalition-backed political investigation committee into the October 7 massacre. The team, which is meant to determine the mandate of the committee expected to be established, will convene this coming Monday, alongside the accelerated advancement of the legislation in the Knesset.
Ynet: Dozens of Israeli extremists breach Gaza border, raise flag inside Strip
Dozens of far-right Israeli activists breached the Gaza border on Thursday, with about 20 of them driving several hundred meters into the Strip and raising an Israeli flag before being returned by security forces, according to the IDF and the group involved.
Lebanon
Reuters: Saudi, French and US officials push Hezbollah disarmament plan
French, Saudi Arabian and American officials held talks with the head of the Lebanese army on Thursday in Paris aimed at finalising a roadmap to enable a mechanism for the disarmament of the Hezbollah group, diplomats said. Israel and Lebanon agreed to a U.S.-brokered ceasefire in 2024, ending more than a year of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah that severely weakened the Iran-backed militants.
Associated Press: Israel launches intense airstrikes in Lebanon as deadline looms to disarm Hezbollah
Israel carried out a series of airstrikes on southern and northeastern Lebanon on Thursday as a deadline looms to disarm the militant Hezbollah group along the countries’ tense frontier. The strikes came a day before a meeting of the committee monitoring the enforcement of a U.S.-brokered ceasefire that halted the latest war between Israel and Hezbollah a year ago. The gathering on Friday will be the second meeting of the mechanism after Israel and Lebanon appointed civilian members to a previously military-only committee. The group also includes the United States, France and the U.N. peacekeeping force deployed along the border.
Naharnet: Has the army found a Hezbollah tunnel in Touline?
The Lebanese Army found “an entrance to a small room containing no arms or equipment” in the southern town of Touline on Wednesday, following a request from the Mechanism ceasefire committee, which “conveyed an Israeli claim about the presence of a tunnel,” the al-Akhbar newspaper reported. Al-Jadeed television said the site had been previously targeted by an Israeli airstrike.
Syria
Kurdistan24: SOHR Director Warns Against Inclusion of Extremist Militias in Future Syrian Army
Speaking to Kurdistan24, Abdulrahman said that Ahmed Sharaa is using armed factions merely as leverage to advance his own interests, despite what he described as their involvement in serious human rights violations.
Yemen
Jerusalem Post: Houthis begin mobilization for offensive in southern Yemen – report
The Iranian-backed Houthis may be preparing for an offensive against the Southern Transitional Council (STC) in Yemen. The STC is generally viewed as being backed by the UAE and controls part of southern Yemen. The Houthis control the mountainous region of Yemen.
Congo
Reuters: Rwanda-backed M23 group says it has begun leaving seized Congo town
Rwanda-backed M23 rebels have begun withdrawing from the eastern Congolese town of Uvira in an effort to support U.S.-backed peace efforts, their leaders said on Wednesday, promising to complete the pullout by Thursday. Videos shared on social media purported to show the troop movements, with combatants wearing military fatigues holding weapons and moving in a convoy at dusk. Reuters did not independently verify the footage.
Nigeria
Reuters: At least 12 killed in Nigeria mining site attack, group says
At least 12 people were killed and three others abducted when gunmen attacked a mining site in Atoso village in Nigeria's restive Plateau state, a local group leader said on Wednesday. Dalyop Solomon Mwantiri, who heads the Berom Youth Moulders-Association (BYM) said the attackers, who locals identified as armed Fulani militias, struck late on Tuesday, leaving five others hospitalized with gunshot wounds.
Philippines
The Guardian: Islamic extremism in the Philippines: is it a terrorism hotspot, and which groups are active there?
Confirmation by authorities that the alleged gunmen in the Bondi beach terror attack, Sajid and Naveed Akram, travelled just weeks ago to the southern Philippines has sparked questions about why they went and if there are any links to reported violent Islamist extremism in the region.
CBS News: Philippine hotel in Davao City says Bondi Beach suspects stayed for a month and were there every night
Authorities investigating the Bondi Beach terrorist attack have been looking into a month-long trip taken by the suspects, father and son Sajid and Naveed Akram, to the Philippines, where there's been a decades-long Islamist insurgency in the south of the country. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said this week that the attack was inspired by ISIS, and there is an ISIS-affiliated militant group operating in a remote area of the Philippines.
Australia
Jerusalem Post: Islamic State calls Bondi Beach mass shooting 'source of pride' without claiming responsibility
The Islamic State praised the Bondi Beach mass shooting in Australia as a 'source of pride', without explicitly claiming responsibility on the group's Telegram channel on Thursday. Additionally, in Australia, two vehicles were intercepted in southern Sydney on Thursday in connection with a planned violent act, with New South Wales Police noting that at this point no connection to the Bondi Beach massacre was identified.
Times of Israel: Albanese ‘abandoned’ Australia’s Jews, ignored ‘alarm bells,’ charges ex-treasurer
Former Australian treasurer Josh Frydenberg on Wednesday said Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has “personal responsibility” for Sunday’s terror attack at a Hanukkah celebration in Sydney, blasting the premier’s lack of accountability for rising antisemitism and accusing him of “abandoning” the Jewish community.
CNA: Internet-fuelled extremism behind rise in 'lone wolf' terrorism, experts say after Bondi shooting
A mass shooting at Sydney’s iconic Bondi Beach last weekend has sparked fears of a rise in lone wolf terrorism, with authorities saying the two gunmen appeared to have acted alone. Lone wolf actors, or those who carry out political violence without direct support or instruction from an established terrorist network, are typically more difficult to identify – and the internet has played a big part in their rise, experts told CNA.
Reuters: No evidence alleged Bondi gunmen received military training in the Philippines, says security adviser
There is no evidence indicating that the two suspects involved in the Bondi Beach attack received any form of military training while in the Philippines, the Philippines' National Security Adviser said on Wednesday. In a statement, Eduardo Año said that a mere visit to the country does not substantiate allegations of terrorist training, and the duration of their stay would not have permitted any meaningful or structured training.
CBS News: 4 days after Bondi Beach attack, Australian police conduct dramatic operation as intel suggests possible new plot
Australian police carried out a dramatic operation in a Sydney suburb on Thursday, with heavily armed officers in tactical gear reportedly ramming a car and at least briefly detaining several men amid the ongoing investigation into the Sunday terror attack on a Jewish holiday gathering at the city's Bondi Beach.
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