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CEP Mentions
Agenda Digitale: The risks of "uncensored" AI in the hands of terrorists: CEP warns
A report from the Counter Extremism Project describes a pro-ISIS chat on RocketChat in which a user allegedly interrogated an "uncensored AI" for technical information on explosives and destructive capabilities. The case reopens the debate on decentralized platforms, propaganda, and radicalization.
Analysis
The Guardian: Doom loop of decline: how struggling high streets fuel far-right sympathies in UK
Up and down Britain there are boarded-up shops. Banks and department stores have been replaced by vape shops, barbers and bookmakers. Shoplifting is at a record high, local services cut, and public frustration is mounting. Politically, high street decline is perfect campaign fodder for Nigel Farage’s Reform UK.
United States
Reuters: Trump weighs Iran strikes to inspire renewed protests, sources say
U.S. President Donald Trump is weighing options against Iran that include targeted strikes on security forces and leaders to inspire protesters, multiple sources said, even as Israeli and Arab officials said air power alone would not topple the clerical rulers. Two U.S. sources familiar with the discussions said Trump wanted to create conditions for "regime change" after a crackdown crushed a nationwide protest movement earlier this month, killing thousands of people.
New York Times: White House Use of ‘Domestic Terrorist’ Doesn’t Match Legal Reality
The Trump administration has referred to the two Americans killed by immigration agents in Minneapolis this month as domestic terrorists. But there is no formal charge of domestic terrorism in the United States, and experts say it is highly unusual to refer to victims of fatal shootings with that term, especially before an extensive investigation.
Jerusalem Post: Qatar ties linked to anti-Western ideological shift at Georgetown, Middle East Forum reports
Qatar has gained sizable control over Georgetown University (GU), according to a new report by the Middle East Forum. Georgetown University (GU) established a campus in Qatar in 2005 through a partnership with the Qatar Foundation. It has since renewed its contract multiple times and extended it through 2035. Over the last 20 years, Qatar has given $1 Billion to Georgetown's Doha and Washington campuses.
New York Jewish Week: Man arrested after ramming car into 770 Eastern Parkway, Chabad’s Brooklyn headquarters
A man rammed his car multiple times into Chabad’s world headquarters in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, on Wednesday night, igniting fear and drawing top city officials to the scene. The man drove into a side entrance of 770 Eastern Parkway, the Hasidic movement’s headquarters, then reversed before accelerating again into the entrance multiple times. The impact knocked a door off its hinges as a crowd gathered, according to footage that was shared widely.
News Channel 5 Nashville: Neo-Nazis busted as part of plot to create paramilitary team to take out 'high-value targets,' FBI says
Two white supremacists, both with connections to a Tennessee-based neo-Nazi network, now face federal charges, accused of attempting to create a paramilitary unit capable of taking out "high-value targets." Aiden Daniel Cuevas, 20, and Andrew Cole Nary, 23, are being held in separate northern Alabama jails after being arrested Jan. 20 by the FBI. Following a year-long undercover investigation, both men were charged with conspiracy to traffic illegal firearms, including fully automatic machine guns with obliterated serial numbers.
Fox News: ‘tr*nsgender ANTIFA’ extremist charged with attempted murder after skating on death threat, Rep Mace says
A violent "Antifa extremist" and "transgender" suspect who allegedly posted a graphic assassination threat against Rep. Nancy Mace is now charged with attempted murder — months after prosecutors ignored warnings that the suspect was dangerous, a failure Mace says allowed a preventable shooting to happen.
Jewish Telegraphic Agency: Vance omits mention of Jews from Holocaust Remembrance Day statement, incensing Jewish critics on both sides of the aisle
Vice President JD Vance made a statement marking International Holocaust Remembrance Day that failed to mention either Jews or Nazis, igniting further Jewish criticism of the vice president from both sides of the aisle. The statement was the latest in a series of comments Vance has made that have triggered concern regarding his hesitancy to call out antisemites in the conservative movement.
KTSM: Online extremist group targeting El Paso, Texas teens
A violent digital extremist group known by “764” is grooming, manipulating, and exploiting youth across Texas. 764 first emerged in 2021 and was started by a teenager in Stephenville, Texas. They are known to populate chatting apps like Discord and Telegram and online games like Roblox and Minecraft. Authorities describe it as a network of predators who target children and vulnerable teens.
Times of Israel: New York man charged with hate crime for punching rabbi on Holocaust Remembrance Day
A suspect was charged with a hate crime on Wednesday for allegedly attacking a rabbi in New York City the previous day, on Holocaust Remembrance Day. Eric Zafra Grosso, 32, allegedly approached the rabbi, shouted “Fuck Jews,” and punched the rabbi in the face and chest, knocking him to the ground, said Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz.
Times of Israel: NYC Council probing pro-terror event, speaker vows ‘zero tolerance,’ after ToI report
Lawyers for New York City are investigating an event that sold merchandise in support of terrorist groups, a spokesperson at the New York City Council said last week. Vendors sold keychains, stickers and pins in support of US-designated terrorist groups during a fundraiser at the Muslim American Society youth center in Brooklyn last week, in an incident first reported by The Times of Israel.
Jewish Telegraphic Agency: Grandson of survivors barred from UN Holocaust memorial event after photographing Lizzy Savetsky’s encounter with security
The grandson of Holocaust survivors was blocked from attending the United Nations Holocaust Remembrance Day event in New York City after taking a photograph of influencer Lizzy Savetsky’s confrontation with security over an Israeli flag. Julian Voloj was going through the security line at the U.N. General Assembly Hall when he saw security guards “harassing” Savetsky, a prominent pro-Israel social media influencer.
Independent: Brother labels suspect who attacked Ilhan Omar a ‘right-wing extremist’ who has hated Somalis for decades
The man accused of attacking Rep. Ilhan Omar during a Tuesday evening town hall meeting in Minnesota is a “piece of s**t” with lifelong anger issues who has been fixated on the Somali-born lawmaker – and the Somali diaspora in general – for years, his younger brother told The Independent.
Canada
CTV News: Montreal gym member allegedly confronted over shirt with Nazi symbols
A Montreal gym has publicly condemned antisemitism after a member allegedly wore a t-shirt bearing Nazi propaganda while working out and was confronted by another client. The Gym du Plateau on Mont-Royal Avenue published a statement on its Facebook and Instagram accounts on Tuesday, stating, “Our gym does not tolerate hateful, violent, or discriminatory ideologies, including any form of Nazi propaganda or symbols. These ideologies are completely incompatible with our human, athletic, and community values.”
France
France 24: France backs push to put Iran's Revolutionary Guards on EU terrorism list
France is to back a move led by Italy for the European Union to list Iran's Revolutionary Guards as a "terrorist organisation", the French presidency said Wednesday, after the force was accused of taking a leading role in a deadly crackdown on protests.
Germany
Iran International: Germany urges EU to list IRGC, citing torture and killings
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said Germany strongly supports listing Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps under EU terrorism sanctions and expressed confidence the bloc would reach a decision on Thursday. “The federal government has strongly advocated for the Revolutionary Guard Corps to be listed,” Wadephul told reporters on the sidelines of a meeting of EU foreign ministers. “I am very confident that we will reach a joint conclusion on this matter today.”
Italy
Politico: Italian ex-general gears up to launch new far-right party
Roberto Vannacci, an MEP and former general, is preparing to launch his own political party, which would formalize a break with Matteo Salvini’s League and potentially reshape the Italian far right.
United Kingdom
Independent: Moment police snare Neo-Nazi bomb maker who fantasised about ‘turning Muslims into mincemeat’
Bodycam footage shows the moment Harry Whittaker, a neo-Nazi fanatic who made homemade explosives in his garden shed and spoke of turning Muslims into “mincemeat”, was arrested. Whittaker, 33, of Caddington, near Luton, was found guilty of charges of possessing and making explosives at a trial at the Old Bailey. On Wednesday (28 January) he was sentenced to three years and nine months in prison. He was also handed a 10-year Criminal Behaviour Order.
Afghanistan
Afghanistan International: Taliban-Linked Cleric Calls For ‘Jihad’ In Pakistan, Central Asia
A cleric aligned with the Taliban urged supporters to wage “jihad” in Pakistan and several Central Asian countries during a funeral ceremony near Kabul, according to remarks made at the event. Sher Ali Hamad made the comments at a funeral in Guldara district for a man identified as Ayoub, also known as Zakir. Pakistani authorities have said Ayoub was killed in recent clashes between Pakistani security forces and the Pakistani Taliban in border areas near Kunar.
Afghanistan International: Taliban FM Criticises Internal Infighting, Public Statements
Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi criticised internal disputes and public messaging within the group, saying inaccurate statements and media hype could harm the administration’s standing. Addressing a gathering of cultural figures affiliated with the Taliban at the presidential palace in Kabul on Thursday, Muttaqi said the conduct of Taliban officials is closely watched by Afghans and the international community.
Gaza Strip/West Bank
Times of Israel: Israel warns Hamas may soon formally cede Gaza to technocrats, but maintain actual power
Israel’s defense establishment believes that Hamas will soon relinquish authority over the Gaza Strip to a newly formed committee of Palestinian technocrats; however, at least in the short term, the terror group would remain de facto in control of the territory, an Israeli security official said Thursday.
Jerusalem Post: Anti-Hamas gangs utilizing new tactics in Gaza, putting terror group on high alert – report
Anti-Hamas gangs in the Gaza Strip may be utilizing new tactics to fight against the terror group, Saudi outlet Asharq Al-Awsat reported on Tuesday. An example of this included when the Helles Gang killed several Gazans who approached the yellow line in the Shejaia and Tuffah neighborhoods.
Jerusalem Post: IDF discusses disarming Hamas, opening Rafah Border Crossing: What’s next?
The IDF on Thursday discussed a variety of scenarios for how attempts to disarm Hamas and the opening of the Rafah Border Crossing will look. In the background, IDF sources predicted that, absent a veto by US President Donald Trump, there is a high probability that the military will eventually return to some kind of sizable military operation against Hamas in order to ensure the disarmament process.
Iran
Jerusalem Post: Iran regime using hospitals as traps to harm protesters, doctors that provide aid – report
Iranian regime forces have used hospitals and doctors as tools for shutting down antigovernmental protests in recent weeks, according to various media reports, citing firsthand accounts.
Israel
Times of Israel: Report: Netanyahu turned down 11 chances to kill Hamas leader Sinwar in 2023
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu turned down 11 chances to kill Yahya Sinwar, the Hamas leader in Gaza, months before the terror group’s October 7, 2023, attack, Channel 12 reported Wednesday, citing a senior defense official.
Jerusalem Post: Former Gaza hostage Almog Meir Jan says captivity shattered his belief in coexistence
Former Gaza hostage Almog Meir Jan shared how, having spent 246 days in Gaza, his belief in coexistence crumbled, and how he sees that hatred and the focus on the destruction of Israel are why Gaza is in ruins and why Palestinian society is unable to succeed.
Jerusalem Post: Israel files indictment against West Bank man in deadly northern Israel terror attack
Prosecutors on Thursday filed a sweeping indictment against Ahmad Abd al-Rahim Abu al-Rub, 34, from Kabatiya near Jenin, charging him with two counts of murder as an act of terrorism and three additional attempted murders for a combined ramming-and-stabbing attack in northern Israel late last year, that left two dead and three wounded.
Lebanon
Naharnet: Report: Hezbollah says Qassem remarks 'religious', no intention to start a war
Hezbollah has clarified to President Joseph Aoun, through unofficial channels, that Hezbollah chief Sheikh Naim Qassem’s latest remarks about supporting Iran militarily were “purely religious, not political,” a media report said. “We do not want to start a war,” the Nidaa al-Watan newspaper quoted Hezbollah as telling Aoun.
Naharnet: Berri says Hezbollah arms not behind assassinations
MP Elias Hankash of the Kataeb Party said Thursday in an address before parliament that “the issue of illegitimate weapons is neither a theoretical issue nor an ordinary political dispute.” "It has been rather linked in the collective conscience of the Lebanese people to a series of assassinations that claimed the life of martyr (ex-)PM Rafik Hariri, as well as national leaders from the March 14 forces who were colleagues in this parliament, including Pierre Gemayel, Gebran Tueni, Walid Eido and Mohammad Chatah, in addition to security officials such as Wissam al-Hassan, Samer Hanna and others,” Hankash said.
Pakistan
Business Recorder: ‘Measures being taken to counter extremism in Punjab’
Secretary Auqaf Punjab, Dr Ehsan Bhutta, has said that comprehensive and effective measures are being taken to counter extremism in the province. He stated that initiatives are being introduced to improve school education and to enhance the skill development of students of religious seminaries through short courses in collaboration with the Technical Education and Vocational Training Authority (TEVTA).
Algeria
AL24 News: 67 Terrorists Eliminated and 369 Supporters Arrested in 2025, Algerian Army Reports
Sixty-seven (67) terrorists were neutralized and 369 individuals supporting terrorist groups were arrested during 2025 by units of the People’s National Army (PNA), which also recovered significant quantities of weapons and ammunition, according to an operational report released Monday by the PNA. “In line with efforts by PNA units and detachments to preserve national security, unity, and stability, 2025 saw significant operational achievements in counter-terrorism and the fight against organized crime. These results confirm the effectiveness of the High Command’s approach and reflect the high level of readiness and professionalism of our Armed Forces,” the report stated.
Australia
The Australian: Top Jewish leader urges Muslim counterparts to back Scott Morrison’s reform plan
One of Australia’s top Jewish leaders has urged his Muslim counterparts to embrace Scott Morrison’s call to reform the extremist elements in their ranks, as the former prime minister hit back at critics for making “straw man” arguments about his policy plan. Mr Morrison urged Muslim leaders during a speech in Israel this week that they must confront the way their religion is practised and governed in Australia following the ISIS-inspired Bondi terror attack.
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