Email from Counter Extremism Project (CEP) Antisemitism at highest level since pre-Holocaust era, report finds Eye on Extremism December 23, 2025   Top Stories  Fox News: Australia terror attack exposes ISIS resurgence as experts warn of global jihadist networks The terror attack in Australia has renewed urgent warnings from intelligence officials and counterterrorism experts that global jihadist networks are intensifying their reach, even as Western governments continue to frame groups like ISIS as weakened or in retreat. Bill Roggio, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and one of the longest-running trackers of jihadist movements, said the Australia attack highlights a persistent miscalculation in Western capitals. Ynet: Antisemitism at highest level since pre-Holocaust era, report finds The deadly antisemitic terror attack in Australia served as another painful reminder that antisemitism and anti-Zionism worldwide have reached a new and alarming peak. Australia is not alone. Data compiled by the Center for the Study of Antisemitism of the Combat Antisemitism Movement shows a sharp rise in incidents across multiple countries.   CEP's ARCHER at House 88 The Auschwitz Research Centre on Hate, Extremism and Radicalization (ARCHER) at House 88 is sited at the former residence of Rudolf Höss, Commandant of the Auschwitz concentration and death camp from 1940-1944. We will transform it into a unique symbol of the fight against antisemitism, extremism, and terrorism. Follow ARCHER at House 88 on X, Facebook, and Instagram to stay updated on our progress.   CEP Mentions RTL Aktuell: Broadcast from December 22, 2025 CEP Senior Director Hans-Jakob Schindler speaks about the killing of a Russian general in Moscow. Inside Telecom: Cloned Voices Fuel a New Wave of Digital Extremism “The creator of the audiobook has previously released similar AI content; however, Siege has a more notorious history,” said Joshua Fisher-Birch, a terrorism analyst at the Counter Extremism Project. Analysis Washington Institute for Near East Policy: The Hamas-Israel War: An Early Assessment Despite rhetoric to the contrary, neither side can claim a decisive win, and an uneasy status quo could persist as long as Trump, the ceasefire guarantors, and Israeli leaders keep a lid on their frustrations. United States CBS News: Man sentenced to life for planning 9/11-style attack on Atlanta's Bank of America Plaza, prosecutors say A Kenyan man will spend the rest of his life in prison for plotting what prosecutors called a "9/11-style attack" on Atlanta's tallest building on behalf of an Africa-based terrorist organization. On Monday, a federal judge sentenced 34-year-old Cholo Abdi Abdullah to two consecutive life sentences as well as a lifetime of supervised release for planning to hijack a commercial airliner and targeting Atlanta's 55-story Bank of America Plaza as part of a campaign by Harakat al-Shabaab al-Mujahideen, commonly known as al-Shabaab. Jewish Insider: ADL finds more than 20% of Mamdani transition team appointees have extremist backgrounds A new report by the Anti-Defamation League highlights several members of New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani’s transition team who have used antisemitic tropes and justified Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 attacks, among other issues the group flags as “deeply troubling” and that raise further questions about his vetting process. The document, published on Monday, comes days after the ADL uncovered antisemitic comments by a top transition appointee, Catherine Almonte Da Costa, who had denigrated Jews in a series of past social media posts. Da Costa resigned shortly after the posts were publicized amid backlash from critics. Jewish Telegraphic Agency: Pennsylvania principal faces firing over antisemitic voicemail: ‘They control the banks’ A Pennsylvania elementary school principal is facing termination by his school district after he accidentally recorded himself making antisemitic remarks in a voicemail to a Jewish parent. Philip Leddy, the principal of the Lower Gwynedd Elementary School in Montgomery County, confirmed to the Wissahickon School District that he had made the antisemitic remarks heard on the voicemail message Friday morning after he believed he had disconnected the call , according to an email sent to the district’s parents. Fox News: GOP governor lays out plan to ‘purge’ terrorists and terror supporters from state After designating two prominent Islamic groups "foreign terrorist organizations," Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott gave insight into his plan to "purge" both terrorists and terror supporters from his state. Abbott, who is a close ally of President Donald Trump and is running for a fourth term as governor, recently issued a proclamation designating the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) and the Muslim Brotherhood as "foreign terrorist organizations" and "transnational criminal organizations" under Texas law. The Hill: US military kills ‘narcoterrorist’ in eastern Pacific strike The U.S. military struck an alleged drug trafficking boat in the eastern Pacific Ocean on Monday, killing one “narcoterrorist.” U.S. Southern Command (Southcom) shared a 27-second video of the strike on the social platform X, adding that the vessel was “operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations in international waters” and was “transiting along known narco-trafficking routes” in the eastern Pacific. Jerusalem Post: Gaetz slams antisemitism envoy, blames Israel for sex-trafficking probe on Tucker Carlson's podcast Tucker Carlson and former rep. Matt Gaetz used a Monday night interview on The Tucker Carlson Show to demean Rabbi Yehuda Kaploun’s recent appearance at the Jerusalem Post Washington Conference and to question how US officials define antisemitism. Jerusalem Post: Nazi swastika graffiti, rocks target Michigan State Chabad in two attacks The Michigan State University Chabad was vandalized in two attacks last week, with windows smashed with rocks and Nazi swastikas graffitied on its door, according to the Chabad center and the East Lansing Police Department (ELPD). Politico: ADL hits Mamdani with another report charging his transition team has antisemitic ties The Anti-Defamation League unleashed its latest salvo at Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani on Monday — one week after the group surfaced antisemitic tweets that led to an appointee’s resignation. The ADL’s second “Mamdani Monitor update” dug into the social media histories of more than 400 people the democratic socialist has appointed to serve on various committees to assist his transition to City Hall. New York Times: Mamdani Revamps Hiring After Old Antisemitic Remarks Prompt Aide to Quit Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani’s transition team said on Friday that it would hire an outside legal team to help vet potential hires, following the abrupt resignation of an appointee over antisemitic social media posts she made more than a decade ago. Mr. Mamdani said at a news conference on Staten Island that he had been unaware of the social media posts by the appointee, Catherine Almonte Da Costa, before the Anti-Defamation League brought them to light on Thursday. amNY: Brooklyn man arrested and charged following antisemitic attack during Hanukkah Police on Monday arrested a Brooklyn man who allegedly sparked an antisemitic assault in the borough last week. Authorities said 23-year-old Armani Charles of Gateway Drive in Spring Creek, was arrested within the confines of the 77th Precinct just before 7 p.m. on Dec. 22. It is unclear whether Charles was arrested at home or at the precinct, but he is accused of making antisemitic remarks to a man and stabbing him in the chest. Jerusalem Post: California mayor 'sees no reason to resign' after post saying Bondi Beach attack was 'false flag' Eduardo Martinez, the mayor of Richmond, California, said on Monday that he "sees no reason to resign," after promoting a social media post that claimed the Bondi Beach attack on a Hanukkah celebration was a “false flag” perpetrated by Israel. Martinez said he "reached out to the Jewish community," took it as a "learning experience," and claimed he was ready to move forward. Jewish News Syndicate: Antisemitic booth at Turning Point event told to remove offensive slurs against Ben Shapiro A staffer at Turning Point USA spoke to organizers of an antisemitic booth, in full view of JNS, at the student movement’s America Fest event in Phoenix, after which JNS saw booth occupants remove a statement on a screen that directed a homophobic slur at Jewish commentator and Daily Wire cofounder Ben Shapiro. Washington Post: JD Vance is ‘walking a tightrope’ on raging Israel debate within MAGA In his speech to Turning Point USA’s year-end conference Sunday, Vice President JD Vance never uttered the word that has been tearing the MAGA base apart: “Israel.” Vance has come under mounting pressure in recent weeks to condemn and bar from the conservative movement Nick Fuentes, a young podcaster who peddles white-supremacist views and antisemitic tropes — underscoring the Republican Party’s divisions over the rise of fringe activists who were barely known by the public until recently. Some conservatives have also pushed for Vance, 41, to rebuke his longtime friend Tucker Carlson, the former Fox News host, who hosted Fuentes on his podcast this fall and whose calls for the United States to reevaluate its support for the state of Israel have helped fuel a raging fight among President Donald Trump’s staunchest supporters. Germany Reuters: Germany deports criminal to Syria as pressure mounts on migration Germany deported a convicted criminal to Syria on Tuesday for the first time since the start of a 14-year-long civil war there as the government in Berlin tries to show voters it is addressing their worries about migration. Around a million Syrians live in Germany, a legacy of former Chancellor Angela Merkel's open-door policy, but migration now tops surveys of voters' concerns and support for the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) has surged. Romania Jewish News Syndicate: Romania passes controversial law banning antisemitic speech Despite objections by Romania’s president, the country’s parliament last week passed a law that bans and prescribes heavy penalties for disseminating antisemitic speech and glorifying Holocaust perpetrators. Under the law passed on Dec. 17, individuals who distribute online “fascist, Legionary, racist and xenophobic materials” face a prison term of 1.5 to 7.5 years. Legionnaires were a pro-Nazi paramilitary force operating during the reign of collaborator Ion Antonescu during World War II, when Romania was part of Nazi Germany’s Axis. United Kingdom The Guardian: Two men found guilty of Manchester plot to ‘kill as many Jewish people as they could’ Two men have been found guilty of plotting to “kill as many Jewish people as they could”, in what detectives believe would have been the UK’s worst terror attack if it hadn’t been thwarted. Walid Saadaoui, 38, and Amar Hussein, 52, have been found guilty at Preston crown court of preparing acts of terrorism between 13 December 2023 and 9 May 2024. Jurors were told they were Islamist extremists with a “visceral dislike” of Jewish people who planned a marauding attack in Greater Manchester. The Guardian: ‘My blood is boiling, brother’: the foiled plot to massacre Jews on streets of Greater Manchester When Walid Saadaoui recruited Amar Hussein to join him in a pogrom on the streets of Greater Manchester, Hussein wept with joy. For years, the two men had been sleeper agents for the Islamic State terrorist group. Each had lived quietly in Britain for years, waiting for the right moment to stage an attack, and for the right person to give them the support to make it happen. Now, finally, it seemed that “zero hour” – as they called it – had arrived. The Guardian: Greta Thunberg arrested in London over ‘Palestine Action prisoners’ placard Greta Thunberg has been arrested in London after taking part in a protest holding a sign expressing support for Palestine Action-affiliated hunger strikers. The Swedish activist arrived after a protest had begun outside the offices of an insurance company in London and she sat down with a sign saying “I support the Palestine Action prisoners. I oppose genocide.” Afghanistan Afghanistan International: Ban On Afghan Girls’ Education Has No Religious Justification, Say Pak Clerics A group of Pakistani clerics meeting under the banner of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam criticised the Afghan Taliban for denying girls access to education, saying the policy has no basis in Islamic law. In a statement issued after a meeting held on Monday in Karachi and chaired by Maulana Fazlur Rehman, the clerics said that “depriving girls of education has no justification in Islam” and urged the Taliban to immediately reopen educational institutions to girls. Gaza Strip/West Bank Jewish News Syndicate: Palestinian extremists suspected of torching Christmas tree outside Jenin church A Christmas tree and nativity scene were burned down in a pre-dawn attack on Monday outside the Holy Redeemer Church in the Palestinian city of Jenin, according to the Latin Catholic church. In a social media post, the pastor of the church, Father Amer Jubran, condemned the 3:00 a.m. arson attack as a “shameful and reprehensible act perpetrated by outlaws” which, he said, did not reflect Muslim-Christian relations among Palestinians. Iraq Daily Sabah: PKK terrorist camps in Iraq set to be emptied by spring 2026 The disarmament of the PKK terrorist group, a process that began earlier this year, will likely continue into 2026, but the timetable for the fate of terrorists is clearer now. A report by the Sabah newspaper says Zap and Metina, two camps harboring PKK members, are expected to be fully emptied by the end of February 2026, while Hakurk and Gara, near the Qandil mountains, will be evacuated in the spring. All are located in northern Iraq, in a region controlled by Iraq’s Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). Kurdistan24: Armed Groups and Security Vacuums Block Christians’ Return to the Nineveh Plains More than a decade after the Islamic State’s assault on northern Iraq fractured the region’s demographic landscape, the Christian communities of the Nineveh Plains remain largely displaced, unable to return to their ancestral homes due to the lingering dominance of irregular armed groups and a pervasive lack of security assurance. According to a new report by Kurdistan24's correspondent Derman Ba'adri, over 11 years have passed since the jihadist group’s offensive in 2014, yet a significant number of displaced Christians have not resettled in their places of origin. Kurdistan24: U.S. Envoy Welcomes Iraqi Armed Groups’ Disarmament Signals, Urges Binding National Framework The United States Special Envoy to the Republic of Iraq, Mark Savaya, has welcomed reported steps by Iraqi armed groups toward disarmament, describing them as an encouraging development while stressing that statements of intent must be followed by concrete, binding measures that place all weapons firmly under state control. In a statement posted on X, Savaya said the reported moves reflect a “positive response to the longstanding calls and aspirations of the Marjaeya and our respected religious authorities,” praising their “wisdom, moral leadership, and principled guidance,” which he said continue to serve as a national compass for Iraq. Israel Jerusalem Post: Jerusalem in danger of next Oct. 7-style invasion due to failed border security - special report Without major changes, Israel is failing to protect Jerusalem from the ongoing threat of an October 7-style invasion from east Jerusalem and surrounding areas, State Comptroller Matanyahu Englman said in a report on Tuesday. Englman said that the various political and security authorities who are responsible for security for Israeli residents in Jerusalem have mostly ignored the lessons of Hamas's invasion from Gaza, essentially taking the position that such an invasion could never happen in Jerusalem. Jerusalem Post: Katz walks back statement saying Israel plans to settle, not withdraw from Gaza Strip Defense Minister Israel Katz has walked back his Tuesday morning statement claiming that Israel plans to settle northern Gaza and has no intention of withdrawing from territory under Israeli control in either Gaza or Syria. Lebanon The Telegraph: Israel claims to have killed Hezbollah mole in Lebanese intelligence Israel has claimed it killed a Hezbollah mole working in Lebanese intelligence, adding to tensions before a Dec 31 deadline for the terror group to be disarmed. The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said the mole was one of three Hezbollah members it killed in an air strike on a car on Monday. Naharnet: Fadlallah, Hashem seek Qatar's support in Doha Hezbollah MP Hassan Fadlallah and Amal MP Qassem Hashem met Tuesday with Qatar's Parliament Speaker Hassan bin Abdullah Al-Ghanem in Doha. Al-Ghanem voiced Qatar's support and "love" for Lebanon and the Lebanese people. Syria Reuters: Syrian government and SDF agree to de-escalate after Aleppo violence Syrian government forces and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces agreed to de-escalate on Monday evening in the northern city of Aleppo, after a wave of attacks that both sides blamed on each other left at least two civilians dead and several wounded. Syria's state news agency SANA, citing the defense ministry, said the army's general command issued an order to stop targeting the SDF's fire sources. Reuters: Syria detains prominent American Islamist journalist, sources say A prominent American Islamist journalist who has been critical of Syria's new government and its nascent partnership with the United States has been detained by Syrian security forces, two people familiar with the matter said on Tuesday. Bilal Abdul Kareem, a former stand-up comedian in the U.S. turned war journalist who has lived in Syria since 2012 and worked with many foreign media outlets, was detained in Al-Bab in northern Aleppo province on Monday, they said. Turkey Daily Sabah: Türkiye detains 10 suspects in probe into Daesh terror financing Turkish prosecutors have detained 10 suspects accused of financing the Daesh terrorist group and operating within its Ankara-based network, authorities announced on Tuesday. In a statement, the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office said the investigation was launched by its Terror Crimes Investigation Bureau following an examination of bank transactions identified through reports prepared by the Financial Crimes Investigation Board (MASAK) and analysis of social media activity. Defense Post: Turkey Says Captured Senior IS Figure on Afghan-Pakistan Border: Report Turkey’s intelligence agency has conducted a major operation in the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, capturing a Turkish national who held a senior role within the Islamic State group, state media reported on Monday. The suspect was identified as Mehmet Goren, who allegedly served for the Islamic State Khorasan (IS-K) province, Anadolu news agency said, citing security sources. Yemen Yemen Online: Yemen's Houthis Announce Death of Senior Military Industry Commander in Clashes with Southern Forces Houthi militias have announced the death of one of their senior commanders, Raed Khaled Mohammed Al-Durai, described as a specialist in the group’s so-called “military manufacturing” division. According to the Houthi statement, Al-Durai was killed during recent clashes with Southern forces in Yemen. His role within the militia was reportedly linked to overseeing aspects of weapons development and battlefield logistics. Naharnet: Release UN staff immediately, rights chief tells Yemen's Houthis The U.N. rights chief on Tuesday criticized the detention of dozens of U.N. staff by Yemen's Houthis, calling on the Houthi authorities to release them "immediately and unconditionally". Naharnet: Yemen's warring sides to release some 2,700 prisoners in war's largest exchange Yemen's internationally recognized government and the Iran-backed Houthi group have reached an agreement to free around 2,700 detainees held throughout the war in Yemen, according to Saudi and Houthi officials. Pakistan Reuters: Five Pakistani police personnel killed in bombing, shooting attack Five Pakistani police personnel were killed on Tuesday when their van was ambushed in a bombing and shooting attack in the country's northwest, provincial police said, as Pakistan struggles with a resurgence of militant violence. The Pakistani Taliban, known as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), an Islamist militant group, later claimed responsibility for the attack. The group has waged war against the Pakistani state for nearly 20 years. Australia Reuters: Australian state set to pass tougher gun, hate speech laws after Bondi attack Australia's most populous state is set to pass tougher gun laws, ban the display of terrorist symbols and curb protests in an emergency sitting following the Bondi mass shooting, as authorities stepped up their response to the antisemitic attack. Fifteen people were killed and dozens injured in the mass shooting at a Jewish Hanukkah celebration at Bondi on December 14, a shock attack that prompted calls for tougher gun laws and stronger action against antisemitism. CNN: Most mass shooters act alone. Bondi massacre a rare father-and-son atrocity, experts say As authorities investigate the motives behind last week’s deadly Bondi Beach attack, leading criminologists note an unusual characteristic differentiating this mass shooting from others: the suspected gunmen were family members working together. CNN: Australia Prime Minister booed during memorial service While arriving to a memorial honoring victims of the Bondi Beach massacre, Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was met with boos over his government’s handling of gun laws and hate speech. The Guardian: Labor’s changes to listing hate groups will target Islamist and far-right extremists operating just inside the limits of law The federal government wants to shut down Islamist and far-right extremists with a new regime for listing hate groups, which would operate nearly identically to the terror listing scheme that outlaws the Islamic State, al-Qaida and Hamas. The changes to clamp down on groups like the Islamist Hizb ut-Tahrir and the neo-Nazi National Socialist Network are overdue, according to one leading terror researcher, because those radical groups have managed to operate just inside the limits of current hate laws. Technology eSecurity Planet: DIG AI: A Dark Web AI Powering Cybercrime and Extremism An uncensored AI assistant operating on the Dark Web is rapidly gaining traction among cybercriminals — and security researchers warn it could significantly accelerate illegal activity heading into 2026. Known as DIG AI, the tool allows threat actors to generate malware, scams, and illicit content with minimal technical skill, highlighting how AI is being weaponized beyond traditional safeguards. 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. 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