Email from Counter Extremism Project (CEP) Three Toronto men arrested for hate-motivated attacks, ISIS-related terrorism Eye on Extremism December 19, 2025  Top Stories Times of Israel: Intel further confirms Bondi Hanukkah terror attack was ‘ISIS-inspired,’ says Australian PM Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Friday that online video feed picked up by the country’s intelligence further confirmed that the antisemitic mass shooting at Sydney’s Bondi Beach on Sunday was inspired by the Islamic State terror group. “We’ve been informed that the Office of National Intelligence has identified a regular online video feed from ISIS that reinforces that this was an ISIS-inspired attack,” Albanese told reporters in Canberra, where he also announced a gun buyback plan and a “day of reflection” to embrace the Jewish community on Sunday. Global News: Three Toronto men arrested for hate-motivated attacks, ISIS-related terrorism Three Toronto men have been charged with hate-motivated crimes targeting women and the Jewish community, police announced on Friday. The arrests followed two failed kidnapping attempts in May and June, as well as the seizure of weapons including an AR-style rifle. One of the suspects was charged separately with terrorism offenses that included conspiracy to commit murder for the Islamic State. The Counter Extremism Project (CEP) combines rigorous research with action: exposing terrorist financing networks, building best‑in‑class global databases, disrupting extremist content online, and advising policymakers worldwide. Will you contribute today to keep us ahead of the threat? DONATE CEP Mentions 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. Times of Islamabad: ISI Arrests ISKP Leader Sultan Aziz Azzam in Major Counter Terrorism Operation Experts from the Counter Extremism Project emphasize that disrupting propaganda networks is essential for long-term counter-terrorism success, as it curtails recruitment and funding streams. Welt: “The internet is the most important propaganda channel for terrorists and extremists.” Australia is tightening its laws against hate speech following the terrorist attack on Bondi Beach. Security expert [CEP Senior Director] Hans-Jakob Schindler is calling for more proactive measures from platforms and investment in online deradicalization: “The internet is far too big for purely reactive mechanisms.” Analysis C2C Journal: Triangulation of Hate: Why Canada Is Choosing to Let Antisemitism Grow Canada has seen a troubling rise in anti-Semitism in the last two years. Hatred of Jews is now expressed openly, shamelessly, without restraint – and without consequence for those engaged in it. In part one of a two-part series, Lynne Cohen explains why Canada’s political and civic leaders seem unwilling to call out anti-Semitism or take any meaningful action to stop it. Whether driven by bias, cowardice or cold political calculation, the country’s political class is not just failing Canada’s Jewish population. It is choosing to do so. If the brutal massacre of innocent Jews by Muslim terrorists at Bondi Beach in Australia teaches anything, it’s that allowing anti-Semitism to spread has murderous consequences. Canada should take heed. United States Jewish Insider: Senate education committee chair presses NEA over antisemitism complaints Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA), the chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, sent a letter on Thursday to the National Education Association accusing the largest teachers’ union in the country of a “deeply troubling” pattern of antisemitism within its ranks. ABC News: In rare public comments, career DOJ officials offer chilling warnings about online network 764 In striking and chilling terms, several career Justice Department officials on Thursday offered dire warnings about the online extremist network "764," whose young followers around the world use popular social media platforms to target, groom and push vulnerable teens into harming themselves and others. Associated Press: Alleged leader of Tren de Aragua, labeled as a terrorist group, charged in New York but on the lam An alleged leader of the Tren de Aragua gang labeled by the United States as a terrorist organization has been charged in a New York federal court with racketeering conspiracy and other crimes, including lending support to terrorists among crimes that stretched more than a decade, authorities announced Thursday. The Guardian: Revealed: FBI opened domestic terrorism investigations into anti-ICE activity across US The FBI has launched “criminal and domestic terrorism investigations” into “threats against immigration enforcement activity” in at least 23 regions across the US, according to an internal report shared with the Guardian. The two-page FBI document, dated 14 November, says some of the investigations are related to the “countering domestic terrorism” memo issued by Donald Trump in September. The Telegraph: The Left-wing terror group behind a plot to blow up California At around 10am on Dec 12 a group of four Left-wing extremists parked up in California’s Mojave Desert and went to work. As they unloaded their cars, stickers saying “free Palestine” lay scattered on two small trestle tables, along with bags of charcoal powder, sulphur and suspected potassium nitrate. Members of the pro-Palestinian activist group Turtle Island Liberation Front had driven out into the Lucerne Valley to practise making pipe bombs as part of “Operation Midnight Sun”, a New Year’s Eve terror plot to target two US companies, according to a criminal complaint. Times of Israel: High-level Mamdani appointee resigns after old antisemitic comments surface An appointee to New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani’s incoming administration resigned on Thursday after old antisemitic social media posts surfaced earlier in the day. Mamdani named Catherine Almonte Da Costa as his administration’s director of appointments on Wednesday. The director of appointments is a high-ranking role in the mayor’s office that oversees the recruitment and placement of key staff. The Floridian: Senator Rick Scott Files Bill to Strip Tax Exemption Status from CAIR for Alleged Ties to Terrorism Florida Senator Rick Scott (R) has introduced legislation to eliminate the special tax exemption currently held by the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR). Sen. Scott, like many other Republican lawmakers, including Rep. Randy Fine (R) and Governor Ron DeSantis, believes that CAIR has unequivocal "ties to terrorism. Jewish Telegraphic Agency: Yehuda Kaploun confirmed by Senate as Trump’s antisemitism envoy Rabbi Yehuda Kaploun was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on Thursday as the next special envoy to monitor and combat antisemitism, an ambassador-level role at the State Department aimed at coordinating U.S. efforts to confront antisemitism globally. His confirmation fills a post that had been vacant in a period marked by spikes in antisemitic incidents both in the United States and abroad. Jewish Telegraphic Agency: Alleged Brown and MIT shooter found dead, capping days of misinformation about antisemitic motive The man responsible for two shootings at elite universities that ignited rumors of antisemitism has been found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound at a New Hampshire self-storage center, authorities announced late Thursday. Though they did not explain his motives, authorities laid out a facts suggesting that Claudio Neves Valente might have been settling old scores when he targeted Brown University and a Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor on Saturday and Monday Jewish Telegraphic Agency: Jewish groups condemn Coast Guard for secret swastika policy change After the Washington Post reported last month that the U.S. Coast Guard was reclassifying swastikas and nooses to no longer be considered hate symbols, Jewish leaders voiced their objections. The Coast Guard’s acting commandant, claiming the report was inaccurate, sought to assure them. There would be no change to its categorization of the symbols, Admiral Kevin Lunday told Rabbi Jonah Dov Pesner in emails with the head of the Union for Reform Judaism’s Religious Action Center. Lunday also issued a memo giving an explicit directive not to change them. Christian Science Monitor: Foiled LA terror plot highlights ‘mishmash’ of beliefs that can fuel violence The FBI said Monday that it had stopped a series of attacks planned for New Year’s Eve in Southern California. The alleged plotters, say law enforcement officials, are members of a far-left, anti-capitalist, anti-government organization that had targeted companies “engaged in activities affecting interstate and foreign commerce.” “This country protects the right to hold extreme views about its past, present, and future, but violence is an unmistakable and enforceable line,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John Eisenberg in a news release. Federal and local law enforcement worked together on the case, and experts say the foiled plot underscores the success of interagency collaboration. It is also a reminder, they say, that extremism is not bound to a particular side of the political spectrum – it can arise from any social or political ideology. The Hill: Tucker Carlson, Ben Shapiro clash at Turning Point USA event Prominent conservative voices clashed on Thursday at Turning Point USA’s annual AmericaFest conference, as Ben Shapiro criticized Tucker Carlson for hosting controversial guests such as white nationalist Nick Fuentes and divisive influencer Andrew Tate on his show. Shapiro repeatedly evoked Charlie Kirk, the late conservative activist and founder of Turning Point USA, who was asassinated in September, while calling members of the conservative movement “charlatans,” “frauds” and “grifters.” The National Desk: Vivek Ramaswamy calls on Republicans to reject groypers in New York Times op-ed Ohio GOP gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy wrote an op-ed about what it means to be an American where he called on conservatives to disavow “groypers," which is a name for the followers of white nationalist Nick Fuentes. “If, like Mr. Fuentes, you believe that Hitler was 'really f-ing cool,' or if you publicly call Usha Vance a 'jeet,' then you have no place in the conservative movement, period,” Ramaswamy wrote in the op-ed published on Wednesday. Jewish Telegraphic Agency: 4 House Democrats introduce bill that would enact progressive vision for fighting antisemitism Four progressive House Democrats have introduced a bill aimed at combatting antisemitism in the wake of the attack on Jews celebrating Hanukkah in Sydney. The Antisemitism Response and Prevention Act would demand a host of policy measures, including fully funding the federal Office of Civil Rights, while also repudiating the Trump administration’s tactics around antisemitism, which its progressive critics have said “weaponize” antisemitism in support of a repressive agenda. Jerusalem Post: Tucson Jewish community targeted with antisemitic graffiti after Bondi Beach massacre Tucson Jewish Community Center (Tucson J) staff discovered “hateful” antisemitic materials posted near the building, Jewish Philanthropies of Southern Arizona (JPSA) announced on Monday. Times of India: Far right activist Nick Fuentes dubs Vivek Ramaswamy 'anchor baby' claims he has 'no right to be here' Far-right activist, Nick Fuentes, has launched a racist attack on Vivek Ramaswamy following the Republican leader’s recent New York Times op-ed, branding him an “anchor baby” and claiming he has “no right to be here,” reigniting a volatile debate over American identity, immigration, and race on the right. Associated Press: Rams WR Puka Nacua apologizes for antisemitic gesture, adds more controversy after career game Los Angeles Rams receiver Puka Nacua’s tumultuous Thursday started with an apology, and ended with more controversial remarks. In between, he had a career-best performance. Nacua apologized Thursday for performing a gesture that plays upon antisemitic tropes on an internet livestream, then stayed in the spotlight Tuesday night as he caught 12 passes for 225 yards and two touchdowns in the Rams’ 38-37 overtime loss to the Seattle Seahawks. NBC 6 South Florida: South Florida mayors band together to denounce rising antisemitism On the fifth day of Hanukkah, a rabbi lit the candles and recited the blessings at the event, a gathering with a message: only light can defeat the darkness of hatred. “We are going to fight not just antisemitism but all hatred, all acts of discrimination; they will not be tolerated here,” said the mayor of Miami-Dade County, Daniella Levine Cava. She urged everyone to be upstanders, not bystanders, and to fight lies and information with truth. “It’s amazing what you learn when you open your eyes, and with my colleagues, we are opening people’s eyes,” said Aventura Mayor Howard Weinberg. Fourteen mayors attended, from various cities and various faiths, with a unified purpose. Canada The J.: Montreal Jews Alarmed By Man’s Open Calls For Violence And Praise Of Terror Jewish community advocates in Montreal are sounding the alarm after social media posts attributed to Montreal resident Mohamad Awada allegedly show him calling for the extermination of Jews, praising killers of Israelis, and expressing open support for Hezbollah. All of the material referenced has been described as coming from publicly accessible platforms and not from private or hacked sources. Town and Country Today: Jewish organization calls for 'action' to protect community after Sydney shooting A Jewish organization is calling on all levels of government to protect communities in Canada following a mass shooting at a Hanukkah celebration in Australia. Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs CEO Noah Shack said in an interview with The Canadian Press that the need for action is "urgent." France Times of Israel: French court jails nanny for poisoning Jewish family but dismisses antisemitism charge A French court on Thursday sentenced a nanny to a two-and-a-half-year jail term for poisoning the parents of Jewish children in her care in 2024, but ruled out the aggravating circumstance of antisemitism. The 42-year-old Algerian woman, known as Leïla Y., had been working as a nanny for their three children when the parents filed a complaint in January 2024 after noticing that a bottle of grape juice smelled of bleach and that the mother’s eye makeup remover burned her eyes. France 24: Lafarge risks €1.1 million fine for financing terrorism in Syria French cement-giant Lafarge is on trial, accused of having paid millions of euros to terrorist organisations operating in Syria between 2012 and 2014, including the Islamic State group. The goal was to keep the group's activities running, allowing trucks to move and employees to come into work. The money is estimated to have funded the yearly salary of 6,000 terrorist fighters. FRANCE 24's Shirli Sitbon tells us more from the courthouse in Paris. Germany Euronews: German neo-Nazi fugitive does not want to be a woman any more Convicted German far-right activist Marla-Svenja Liebich, who changed gender before prison sentence, is applying for another identity change while evading arrest, Euronews learned in an interview with the fugitive whose whereabouts remain unknown. DPA: German court overturns ban on neo-Nazi Hammerskins group A German federal court on Friday overturned a ban imposed in 2023 on the right-wing extremist Hammerskins Germany group. The court in Leipzig ruled in favour of an appeal by several members and regional sub-groups against the ban imposed by the Interior Ministry. Hungary Hungarian Conservative: Hungary Partners with UN Counter-Terrorism Office on Sports Safety The Hungarian government has signed a cooperation agreement with the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT) to enhance the safety of sports events and prevent security risks from disrupting competitions, Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó announced in Budapest on Thursday. Speaking at a joint press conference with UNOCT Assistant Secretary-General Alexander Zuev, Szijjártó said Hungarians have a strong emotional connection to sport while firmly rejecting the mixing of geopolitics with sporting events and any form of violence linked to them. Norway Afghanistan International: Taliban Embassy In Norway Resumes Passport Issuance For Afghans The Taliban-run Afghan embassy in Norway has announced that it has resumed issuing passports and providing consular services to Afghans living in Norway, Denmark and Iceland. Najibullah Shaheen, the acting head of the Taliban embassy in Norway, said the first batch of newly issued passports has already been distributed to applicants. United Kingdom Reuters: UK imposes sanctions on perpetrators of violence against Syrian civilians Britain imposed sanctions on Friday on individuals and organisations it said were linked to violence perpetrated against civilians in Syria, including some who financially supported former president Bashar al-Assad's government. While Britain has eased some sanctions on Syria as the country seeks to rebuild after the collapse of the Assad regime a year ago, it said it was taking action against those who were trying to undermine peace in the Middle Eastern country. Homeland Security Today: UK Terrorism Threat in Focus: New Data and Incidents Highlight Evolving Risks Terrorism-related incidents recorded in November 2025 highlight an increasingly complex and fragmented threat environment, according to a new assessment from Pool Re’s threat analysis team. Drawing on recent incidents and newly released UK government data, the analysis shows how a mix of ideological, behavioral, and situational factors continues to shape the terrorism risk landscape in the UK. BBC: Pair jailed over camera in driveway of ex-policeman's house Two men who installed a wildlife camera in the driveway of a retired police officer planned to obtain information to enable an attack on his life, a court has heard. Damian Duffy, 56, from Westclare Court in Dungannon, and Shea Reynolds, 31, from Kilwilkie Road, in Lurgan, were previously convicted of six joint terror offences. Duffy was sentenced to 12 and a half years and Reynolds to 11 and a half years in prison, both sentences with a five-year extension period. Russia Novaya Gazeta: Russian lecturer sentenced to 3 years in prison for ‘inciting extremism’ with Ukrainian songs A Moscow court has sentenced a former lecturer at Russia’s prestigious Bauman State Technical University to three years in prison for “inciting extremism” by including Ukrainian songs in an online playlist, independent news outlet RusNews reported on Friday. Gaza Strip/West Bank Times of Israel: Hasidic cult members illegally enter Nablus, ram Palestinian with their car Members of an ultra-Orthodox cult, led by convicted sex offender Rabbi Eliezer Berland, illegally entered the West Bank city of Nablus overnight between Thursday and Friday and rammed their car into a Palestinian, security officials said and footage showed. The Hasidim had been attempting to reach Joseph’s Tomb in the Palestinian city, security officials said. Times of Israel: Witkoff to meet mediators on Friday amid frustration over implementation of Gaza deal Top White House envoy Steve Witkoff will meet Friday in Miami with senior Qatari, Egyptian, and Turkish officials to discuss phase two of the Gaza ceasefire, a White House official told The Times of Israel, confirming a report in the Axios news site. The four countries believe that both Israel and Hamas are dragging their feet to avoid implementing the deal’s second phase, and are eager to decide on a joint approach for getting both sides to move forward, according to the report. Times of Israel: Settlers said to torch vehicle, spray graffiti in attack on West Bank village Israeli settlers allegedly torched a vehicle and sprayed graffiti in a West Bank village near Ramallah on Tuesday night, according to Palestinian media. The suspected crime took place in Ein Yabrud, northeast of Ramallah. Israel Times of Israel: Police arrest third Israeli suspect, a teen, over arson attack in northern West Bank Police arrested a 17-year-old on Wednesday night, suspected of taking part in an attack by extremist settlers targeting Palestinians and their property in the northern West Bank, a month after he managed to slip away from detention. The Jerusalem resident, whose name was not released for publication due to his age, is the third person to be arrested in connection with the destructive rampage last month. Naharnet: Netanyahu: Economic projects discussed to underscore mutual interest in removing Hezbollah threat Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday described the Mechanism meeting held in Naqoura as “a continuation of the security dialogue aimed at ensuring the disarmament of Hezbollah by the Lebanese army.” “During the meeting, ways to promote economic projects were discussed in order to underscore the mutual interest in removing the Hezbollah threat and ensuring sustainable security for residents on both sides of the border,” Netanyahu added, in a statement released by his office. Lebanon Times of Israel: IDF: Hezbollah operative nabbed last year was key to group’s ‘secret maritime file’ The Israel Defense Forces on Friday revealed new information on a raid carried out by naval commandos last year, during which a “significant” Hezbollah operative was nabbed. On November 1, 2024, members of the Israeli Navy’s elite Shayetet 13 unit arrived from the sea and raided a chalet on the coast of Batroun, south of Tripoli — some 140 kilometers (87 miles) north of Israel’s maritime border with Lebanon. Naharnet: Mechanism meeting: Security and economic tracks 'advance in parallel' Civilian and military representatives from Lebanon and Israel met on Friday as part of the 'Mechanism' committee monitoring implementation of the year-long Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire, the U.S. Embassy in Beirut said, noting that the "security and economic tracks" advanced "in parallel" in the talks. It was the second time civilian representatives from Lebanon and Israel have taken part in a committee meeting, which also includes the United States, France and the United Nations. Naharnet: Paris says Haykal has agreed to document Hezbollah disarmament Lebanese Army chief General Rodolphe Haykal agreed to document the army's progress in disarming Hezbollah during talks Thursday with international envoys in Paris, the French foreign ministry said, as Beirut seeks to forestall expanded Israeli attacks. Israel and Hezbollah clashed for more than a year after the outbreak of the Gaza war in October 2023, and a November 2024 ceasefire was meant to put an end to the hostilities, but Israel has kept up its strikes, accusing the group of rearming. Syria Reuters: Exclusive: Syria, Kurdish forces race to save integration deal ahead of deadline Syrian, Kurdish and U.S. officials are scrambling ahead of a year-end deadline to show some progress in a stalled deal to merge Kurdish forces with the Syrian state, according to several people involved in or familiar with the talks. Discussions have accelerated in recent days despite growing frustrations over delays, according to the Syrian, Kurdish and Western sources who spoke to Reuters, some of whom cautioned that a major breakthrough was unlikely. Reuters: Islamic State, in first comment, calls Palmyra attack a blow to US and Syrian forces The Islamic State group said the killing of U.S. Pentagon personnel in Syria's ancient city of Palmyra was a "blow" to U.S. forces and Syrian armed factions opposed to it, in its first public comment on the incident. Two U.S. Army soldiers and a civilian interpreter were killed on Saturday when an attacker targeted a convoy of American and Syrian forces in Palmyra before being shot dead, the U.S. military said. Three U.S. soldiers were wounded. Turkey Daily Sabah: AK Party outlines terror-free Türkiye steps in report to Parliament Türkiye’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) has submitted to Parliament a detailed report outlining a government-backed initiative aimed at ending decades of PKK terrorism, Turkish media reported Friday. The report, prepared as part of the "terror-free Türkiye” initiative, was expanded from 53 to 60 pages after revisions requested by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. It does not prioritize any "right to hope” for Abdullah Öcalan, the imprisoned leader of the PKK terrorists, and stresses that the PKK’s Syrian offshoot, the YPG, must comply with a March 10 agreement to integrate into Syria’s central administration. Yemen Reuters: UN chief Guterres urges maximum restraint in Yemen after separatist advance United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday urged all parties in Yemen to exercise maximum restraint after an advance by southern separatists that risks rekindling a 10-year-old civil war after a long lull. He also said the operating environment had become untenable in the areas held by the Iran-aligned Houthi movement - Yemen's capital Sanaa and the heavily populated northwest. Sudan Reuters: UN says over 1,000 civilians killed in Sudan's Darfur as US, others urge ceasefire Over 1,000 civilians were killed when a Sudanese paramilitary group took over a famine-stricken displacement camp in Sudan's Darfur in April, including about a third who were summarily executed, according to a report by the U.N. Human Rights Office on Thursday. For months before the April 11-13 assault, the Rapid Support Forces blocked entry of food and supplies to the Zamzam camp in Sudan's western region of Darfur housing nearly half a million people displaced by civil war, according to the U.N. report. Australia Jerusalem Post: New South Wales police intercept cars en route to Bondi Beach, detain seven to stop ‘violent act' 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. Australian Broadcasting Corporation: Former Neighbours actor Damien Richardson avoids jail over Nazi gesture conviction Former Neighbours actor Damien Richardson has been sentenced to a restorative justice program after making a Nazi gesture at a Melbourne event in 2024 that Neo-Nazis were attending. Richardson was speaking at the event at a restaurant hosted by the National Workers Alliance, a group that stands for "the preservation of Western culture and identity". Neo-Nazis from the National Socialist Network were also in the crowd. 9 News: Neo-Nazi found guilty on appeal of performing salute A far-right extremist did perform a Nazi salute outside court, a judge has ruled following an appeal hearing. Jacob Hersant, 26, in November 2024 became the first Australian jailed for performing a Nazi salute in public. The self-confessed neo-Nazi was sentenced to one month behind bars but immediately launched an appeal against his conviction in the Victorian County Court. The Australian: Police probe Nazi graffiti attack on suburban mosque Police were investigating on Friday a graffiti attack on a mosque in Brisbane’s north, in which a Nazi symbol was spray-painted on the Islamic place of worship in the wake of simmering tensions following the Bondi terror attack. The Masjid Taqwa mosque at Bald Hills was branded with hateful messages that read “F**k Allah” and “No Muslims = peace” as well as a Nazi symbol, between 8pm on Wednesday and 3am on Thursday. CEP Podcasts Unpacking the week's extremism-related anniversaries and news, as well as counter extremism developments and prospects. A deep dive into CEP's research and topics that are relevant to our mission, from our Berlin-based team.   The Counter Extremism Project (CEP) is a nonprofit and non-partisan international policy organization working to combat the growing threat posed by extremist ideologies. CEP depends on the generosity of its supporters. If you value what we do, please consider making a donation. DONATE Were you forwarded this email? Subscribe for yourself here. Counter Extremism Project (CEP) | PO Box 3980 | NEW YORK, NY 10185 US Unsubscribe | Update Profile | Constant Contact Data Notice