Email from Counter Extremism Project (CEP) Al-Qaeda 50 times bigger than at time of 9/11, UN warns Eye on Extremism February 6, 2026   Top Stories  Yemen Online: Al-Qaeda Urges Attacks on U.S. Aircraft Carrier “USS Abraham Lincoln” Al-Qaeda issued a statement last Tuesday urging “jihad” against U.S. and Israeli forces, specifically targeting American aircraft carriers deployed to the Middle East in recent weeks. The group described the U.S. military presence as “part of a Zionist-Crusader project against Islam and Muslim lands.” The Times: Al-Qaeda 50 times bigger than at time of 9/11, UN warns Al-Qaeda and its network of affiliates have 50 times more recruits than they had at the time of 9/11, according to data compiled by a United Nations monitoring group. The figures, drawn from intelligence gathered by spy agencies such as MI6, show that there are now 25,000 potential fighters dotted across the globe. At the time of the Twin Tower attacks, in September 2001, there were an estimated 500 terrorists.   CounterPoint Blogs The Continuing Threat of Doxing as an Extremist Tactic The Case of Shamima Begum: Balancing Victimhood, Accountability, and National Security The Faked Death of the “White King” in Ukraine: What the Kapustin ‘Killing’ Episode Means for Europe’s Violent Extreme Right Islamic State Propaganda Evolution Since October 7 — Content   CEP Mentions Merkur: Iran is playing for time – and taking a dangerous risk: "Then there will be a military strike." The main issue from the US perspective is the Iranian nuclear program: Washington wants to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons. However, Iran is systematically complicating the negotiations, says Middle East expert Hans-Jakob Schindler, director of the Counter Extremism Project, in an interview with this newsroom. "First, they change the location from Istanbul to Oman. Then they announce that they explicitly do not want to discuss their missile program. The regime is a master at negotiating in such a way as to avoid reaching an agreement if possible." Analysis Iran International: Why Tehran sees war as a survival strategy While Iran’s foreign minister is right now visiting Oman for bilateral talks with the United States, in Tehran’s calculus, negotiations now promise steady erosion. War, by contrast, offers a chance – however risky – to reset the balance. This marks a shift from the Islamic Republic’s long-standing view of war as an existential threat. Today, senior decision-makers appear to believe that controlled confrontation may preserve the system in ways diplomacy no longer can. Washington Institute for Near East Policy: What the New Gaza Administrative Committee Needs to Succeed Last month’s establishment of the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza—the name given to the “technocratic, apolitical Palestinian committee” mandated under President Trump’s twenty-point peace plan—marks an important step in the transition to postwar stabilization efforts. The Trump plan envisions the NCAG as the only entity tasked with implementing governance in Gaza. And in addition to the typical challenges faced by similar transition authorities, it will face challenges specific to the Palestinian context, whether related to operational obstacles, political delegitimization efforts by Hamas and the Palestinian Authority, or the need to secure efficient, responsive cooperation from Israel. United States New York Times: Pentagon Official Rejects Plea Deal in U.S.S. Cole Bombing Case A Pentagon official has rejected a proposal to settle the U.S.S. Cole bombing case with a plea agreement and a sentence of up to life in prison, setting the stage for the first death penalty trial at Guantánamo Bay to start this summer, lawyers said on Thursday. CBS News: U.S. moving 7,000 ISIS suspects from Syria to Iraq amid concerns over security and due legal process The U.S. military is in the process of transferring nearly 7,000 ISIS suspects from prisons and jails in northeast Syria to detention facilities across the border into Iraq. The operation comes amid concerns over security, following a mass escape from at least one prison in Syria, but it is also raising concern over the detainees' fate. Jewish Insider: More than 80 bipartisan lawmakers urge DHS to roll back new security grant conditions A bipartisan group of 82 House lawmakers wrote to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on Thursday urging her to roll back new conditions placed on applications for the Nonprofit Security Grant Program amid rising antisemitic attacks. The bipartisan support for the letter is particularly notable given that, while Democrats have been raising concerns about the conditions for months, Republicans have, publicly, been comparatively quiet. The Intercept: Lawmakers Call on Meta to Stop Running ICE Ad Featuring Neo-Nazi Anthem Members of Congress are demanding answers from Meta after it ran advertisements by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement that they say included imagery and music intended to appeal to white nationalists and neo-Nazis. In a letter sent to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Reps. Becca Balint, D-Vt., and Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., questioned how the social media company approved an ad campaign from the Department of Homeland Security featuring the song “We’ll Have Our Home Again,” which is popular in neo-Nazi spaces. The lawmakers urged Meta to cease running the ad campaign on its social media platforms and asked whether the company would commit to ending its digital advertising partnership with DHS. Jerusalem Post: Latest Epstein files release unleashes wave of antisemitic conspiracy theories on social media A bank account named for an ancient god in Israel. A “synagogue of Satan.” References to “goyim” that hint at a Jewish-run global cabal. The mystery of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s alleged visit to China. These are among the latest antisemitic conspiracy theories to be born from the Jeffrey Epstein files, following the document dump that has occupied online commentators for days. Jewish Insider: Sen. Bill Cassidy investigating Mamdani over revocation of antisemitism executive orders Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA), the chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, announced on Thursday that he’s launching an investigation into New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, prompted by the mayor’s rescission last month of executive orders from the prior administration related to Israel and antisemitism. Jewish Insider: Moshe Davis expresses concerns for future of NYC antisemitism office upon his departure Moshe Davis, who served as the first-ever executive director of the Office to Combat Antisemitism created by former Mayor Eric Adams, offered advice and even some praise for the administration that replaced him — but also warned that fear of violence has gripped many observant Jewish New Yorkers, who may now feel excluded by their city government in favor of the city’s secular and progressive Jewish population. New York Post: Mamdani names new antisemitism czar — and she’s already facing ire of Orthodox Jewish community Mayor Zohran Mamdani tapped the head of a left-leaning Jewish organization as his antisemitism czar Thursday — but she’s already facing the ire of some Orthodox Jewish leaders. Phylisa Wisdom, 39, the former executive director of the lefty organization New York Jewish Agenda will lead the Mayor’s Office to Combat Anti-Semitism. Jewish Insider: Anti-Israel ‘working group’ in NYC health agency sparks backlash News that employees in the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene had launched an anti-Israel “working group” inside the agency’s headquarters provoked outrage among both progressive and conservative leaders in the New York City Council. KTSA: Lawyers Claim Injured 19-Year-Old NJ Jock Joined ISIS Because He “Wanted to Be on a Team Again” After Football Injuries Attorneys for a New Jersey teenager accused of pledging allegiance to ISIS argued that the injured former football player was simply searching for camaraderie and purpose after being sidelined due to repeated head trauma. KOCO News 5 ABC: Oklahoma judge rules ISIS supporter mentally incompetent for sentencing A judge has ruled that Nasir Tawhedi, an ISIS supporter who attempted a terrorist attack on Election Day in 2024 in Oklahoma, is mentally incompetent and cannot be sentenced until he regains competency. New York Post: Baby-faced teen tied to neo-Nazi satanic hate group arrested for plot to shoot up Florida church A baby-faced teen with alleged ties to a neo-Nazi satanic hate group has been arrested in Florida for plotting to shoot up his local church and possessing child porn, authorities said. Jose Pagan Jr., 14, was nabbed after authorities received a tip last Saturday that the alleged would-be mass shooter had access to guns and was talking about targeting a church near his home in Wimauma. Investigators determined he was linked to Tempel ov Blood — a hate group that encourages acts of violence as a form of spiritual enlightenment, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office confirmed. Canada Jewish Telegraphic Agency: Canadian Jewish groups decry axing of antisemitism envoy in favor of ‘rights, equality and inclusion’ advisory council Canadian Jewish groups are denouncing a government decision to replace the country’s antisemitism and Islamophobia envoys with a new “Rights, Equality and Inclusion” council. The new advisory council, announced by the Canadian government on Wednesday, is billed in a press release as aiming to “foster social cohesion, rally Canadians around shared identity, combat racism and hate in all their forms, and help guide the efforts of the Government of Canada.” CBC: Quebec teen faces terrorism charge after allegedly promoting neo-Nazi group ideology A teenager from the Quebec City area has been charged with a terrorism-related offence. The RCMP said in a statement Thursday the teen allegedly used social media to promote the violent ideology of a group known as Atomwaffen Division. He is believed to have produced and distributed online material with the goal of inspiring and recruiting others. Argentina Associated Press: Argentina requests extradition of Maduro from the US on crimes against humanity charges An Argentine judge on Wednesday requested the extradition from the United States of former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, who was captured by the U.S. military last month and now faces federal charges of narco-terrorism and conspiracy to import cocaine in New York. The inquest from Argentina, whose judges have aggressively pursued human rights abuse cases beyond its borders, accuses Maduro of having committed crimes against humanity in overseeing a harsh crackdown on protesters and political opponents as president. Belgium Belga News Agency: Jewish community remains main target of terrorist threats in Belgium Last year, the Belgian Coordination Unit for Threat Analysis (CUTA) received 157 reports of terrorist or extremist threats. This represents a 26 per cent decrease compared to 2024. The Jewish community remains the main target of potential attacks in Belgium. Germany Deutsche Welle: German expert warns of evolving Islamist recruitment tactics targeting youth on social media Islamist groups are increasingly using social media influencers and commercial tactics to recruit young Germans to extremism, framing conflict zones as opportunities for rapid social advancement, according to an expert on radicalisation. Kaan Mustafa Orhon, an Islamic studies scholar at German advisory centre Grüner Vogel, said recruiters target vulnerable young people with poor education and limited job prospects, promising status and belonging. Netherlands NL Times: At least three municipalities boycotting FvD over candidates from far-right groups In at least three municipalities, a majority of political parties have pledged to boycott the local faction of far-right party Forum voor Democratie (FvD) due to candidates on its municipal elections lists who are active in far-right and right-wing extremist organizations, or have made racist, anti-Semitic, or extremist statements. The majority of parties in The Hague, Rotterdam, and Nijmegen will not work with the FvD after the municipal elections on March 18, the Volkskrant reports. United Kingdom Reuters: US animal rights activist can be extradited from UK over 2003 bombings An alleged animal rights extremist can be extradited from Britain to the U.S. to stand trial over bombings linked to animal testing more than two decades ago, a London court ruled on Friday. U.S. citizen Daniel San Diego, 47, is accused in relation to bombings in California in 2003, with the so-called Revolutionary Cells of the Animal Liberation Brigade claiming responsibility. No one was injured in either of the incidents. Fox News: Britain drags feet on IRGC terror designation as Iran-linked center allegedly sells extremist merchandise British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s Labour government is facing intense criticism over its failure to swiftly outlaw Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The development comes as a London-based Islamic center has been accused of selling merchandise supporting terrorism. Potkin Azarmehr, a British-Iranian expert on Iran who has written extensively on Iran’s influence operations in the United Kingdom, told Fox News Digital the "Islamic Centre of England is a regime outpost. Afghanistan Afghanistan International: Nine Taliban Cabinet Members Lack Advanced Religious Qualifications An investigation by Afghanistan International Pashto has found that nine members of the Taliban cabinet who use titles such as Sheikh al-Hadith, Sheikh and Mufti do not possess specialised religious education. The spokesperson for Darul Uloom Haqqania in Akora Khattak, Pakistan, said Mawlawi Abdul Kabir, Noor Mohammad Saqib, Abdul Hakim Sharai, Amir Khan Muttaqi, Abdul Latif Mansoor and Shahabuddin Delawar are graduates of religious seminaries but did not complete advanced stages of religious scholarship. Afghanistan International: Taliban Policies Threaten Their Hold On Power, Says Russian Analyst A senior Russian analyst says the Taliban’s current policies suggest the group’s rule in Afghanistan may not be sustainable and could lead to public dissatisfaction and unrest. Rajab Safarov, director of the Centre for Contemporary Iranian Studies in Moscow, told Afghanistan International that the Taliban’s political approach indicates their grip on power will not last. Afghanistan International: Russian Researcher Publishes Alleged Taliban Intelligence Documents A Russian analyst has published a book claiming to reveal internal intelligence documents linked to the Taliban, including allegations of secret foreign contacts and security concerns surrounding the group’s leadership. Andrey Serenko, head of the Russian Centre for Contemporary Afghanistan Studies, released a book titled Taliban Intelligence Secrets, which includes documents he says expose confidential aspects of the Taliban’s intelligence structures. The authenticity of the documents has not been independently verified. Gaza Strip/West Bank France 24: Neither Israel nor Hamas interested in phase 2 of ceasefire, researcher says Speaking with FRANCE 24's Mark Owen, Hussein Ibish, Senior Resident Scholar at the Arab Gulf States Institute, says neither Israel nor Hamas are interested in moving to phase 2 of the ceasefire because "Israel's prime directive is annexation of the West Bank, and Hamas' prime directive is to take over the Palestinian national movement from Fatah and change it from a nationalist secular movement into an Islamist one that they control". Jewish News Syndicate: Hamas will be destroyed if it won’t disarm, Trump says U.S. President Donald Trump took credit for achieving “peace in the Middle East” at the National Prayer Breakfast on Thursday. The president said that with the war in Gaza ended, Hamas would have to give up its weapons. Jerusalem Post: Despite Israeli demands, Bank of Palestine refuses to shut down pay-for-slay accounts – exclusive The Bank of Palestine, the central financial institution of the Palestinian Authority, has refused a request from Israel’s Finance Ministry to close 3,400 accounts reportedly used to distribute payments to released terrorists, two sources familiar with the matter told The Jerusalem Post on Friday. Jerusalem Post: IDF arrests approximately 60 wanted individuals across West Bank, seizing dozens of weapons The IDF carried out counterterrorism operations across the West Bank, arresting approximately 60 wanted individuals, seizing six firearms, ten airsoft weapons, and dozens of other weapons, the military confirmed on Friday. Iran Jerusalem Post: Former Iranian official reveals IRGC trained for years for violent crackdown on protesters – report The violent, bloody crackdown on Iran's protests on January 8-9 was part of a "multi-layered process" planned by the regime since 2022, Iran International reported on Thursday, citing a former Iranian Interior Ministry official speaking on the condition of anonymity. Israel Jerusalem Post: Netanyahu releases pre-Oct. 7 intel documents, claims defense echelon urged keeping Hamas in power A selection of intelligence documents, which shed light on Israel's strategic blindness leading up to the October 7 massacre, was published on Thursday by the Prime Minister's Office. Some of the documents were also read aloud during the Defense and Foreign Affairs Committee meeting on Thursday. Lebanon Jerusalem Post: Sen. Graham ends meeting early with Lebanese official, says Lebanon unreliable peace partner US Senator Lindsey Graham claimed that the US does not have a reliable partner in Lebanon in a post on X/Twitter on Friday evening. Graham met with Lebanese Armed Forces head General Rodolphe Haykal on Friday. In the post, the Republican senator from South Carolina claimed that he ended the meeting early because Haykal refused to say that Hezbollah was a terror organization. Naharnet: The south-north Litani ambiguity: Bassil discusses thorny Hezbollah disarmament Free Patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil discussed Hezbollah's disarmament in a televised interview, in which he said that for Hezbollah to hand over its arms Lebanon must work on a comprehensive strategy to protect the country. Lebanon "must simultaneously secure an Israeli withdrawal and defense agreements with countries, such as the United States, in order to convince Hezbollah to hand over its weapons. A comprehensive policy to protect Lebanon must be established," he told talk show host Marcel Ghanem on Thursday evening. Naharnet: Fayyad says Hezbollah has no 'armed appearances' north of Litani MP Ali Fayyad of Hezbollah noted Friday that "the country is at a sensitive and critical crossroads requiring everyone to act with the utmost responsibility to save it and guide it to safety.” “This will enable us all to confront these numerous pressures and challenges, which necessitates consultation, dialogue and understanding regarding the critical issues it faces," Fayyad said. Naharnet: Lebanese army must be given 'means' to disarm Hezbollah, French FM says Lebanon's army must be given the means to disarm militant group Hezbollah, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot told AFP ahead of his expected arrival in Beirut on Friday. "France's vision for Lebanon is that of a strong, sovereign state holding a monopoly on arms," he said. Naharnet: Lebanese escaping Syria now rely on Hezbollah for safety "They drove us out at gunpoint," says Lebanese citizen Zeinab Qataya, who fled her adopted home in Syria after the fall of Bashar al-Assad and returned to her country to live in a camp built by Hezbollah. The construction of the Imam Ali Housing Compound has proved controversial, but Lebanese and Syrian families pushed out of villages just over the border in Syria say they now rely on the Iran-backed movement for safety. Yemen Yemen Online: Houthis Launch New Levy Campaign Targeting Traders in Yemen’s Ibb Ahead of Ramadan The Houthi authorities in Yemen have introduced a new levy campaign targeting traders in Ibb governorate, central Yemen, just weeks before the start of the holy month of Ramadan. Local merchants and shop owners report that the campaign, officially described as “price monitoring,” has in practice become a tool to impose heavy financial demands on businesses a practice they say recurs annually ahead of Ramadan. The National: UN terror monitor warns on AQAP resurgence in Yemen The leading UN expert on global terrorism has warned that Al Qaeda is pursuing a new strategy of expansion, highlighting the group's recent growth in Yemen as an imminent threat. “Across the sea, AQAP is the vanguard of Al Qaeda at the moment,” Colin Smith, the co-ordinator of the terrorism monitoring team for the UN Security Council told an event in London's Rusi think tank. “It too is more local, it is becoming richer. It couldn't pay its soldiers their salaries in 2024 and now that's not a problem. Pakistan Reuters: Suicide bomber kills 31 in Shi'ite mosque in Pakistan's capital A suicide bomber killed at least 31 people and wounded almost 170 others during Friday prayers in a Shi'ite Muslim mosque in Islamabad, officials said, in the deadliest attack of its kind in the capital in over a decade. Images from the site showed bloodied bodies lying on the carpeted mosque floor surrounded by shards of glass, debris and panicked worshippers. Nigeria Associated Press: In a Nigerian village, extremists issued a call to prayer and then slaughtered those who turned up Weeks after residents of two Nigerian villages ignored a letter from militants announcing they would come to spread their extreme form of Islam, gunmen arrived on motorbikes and embarked on a 10-hour frenzy of killing. The attackers went from door to door, shooting and setting homes and shops ablaze in the mostly Muslim villages of Woro and Nuku. Later, residents told The Associated Press, they went into a mosque, announced the call to prayer and shot everyone who turned up. Los Angeles Times: Nigeria sets up new military operation to fight extremists accused of killing 162 villagers The Nigerian government has announced a military operation to tackle Islamic militants following the killing of scores of people, likely all Muslims, while some 183 Christians abducted last month are finally home. Local officials said 162 people were killed during the Tuesday attack in the Muslim-majority villages of Woro and Nuku, many of them reportedly for resisting extremist ideology. It is one of the deadliest attacks in the country outside of the known conflict hot spots. Australia The Guardian: ABC staff told not to use disappearing messages on topics including antisemitism and extremism due to freeze notice Journalists at the ABC who cover any topic which comes under the remit of the royal commission into antisemitism received a sobering edict from news boss Justin Stevens on Friday: they cannot send or receive confidential Signal messages because no communications can be destroyed. Journalists use disappearing messages in some circumstances to communicate with confidential sources in an effort to protect what they tell them. The ABC is one of a number of commonwealth departments and agencies which must comply with a disposal freeze order from the National Archives of Australia. Australian Broadcasting Corporation: An ex-jihadi and terror experts agree on one thing about extremism In September 2016, a new Islamic State (IS) group propaganda magazine was published and in it was a bloodthirsty and shocking call to action aimed at the terror group's Australian followers. "Kill them on the streets of Brunswick, Broadmeadows, Bankstown and Bondi," an article in the magazine Rumiyah said. It became a disturbing prophecy. Less than a decade on, Naveed and Sajid Akram allegedly draped homemade IS flags on the windscreen of Naveed Akram's Hyundai Elantra before killing 15 people — mostly Jewish Australians — at Bondi Beach. While the motivations of the father-son duo are yet to be made public, the ABC has spoken with a former IS supporter, counterterror experts and law enforcement sources to shed light on how extremist groups like IS radicalise and recruit people to their cause. Technology Homeland Security Today: Meghan Conroy Joins Roblox as Terrorism & Violent Extremism Intel Lead Meghan Conroy has joined Roblox as its new Terrorism & Violent Extremism Intelligence Lead, bringing more than a decade of experience analyzing how extremist activity, disinformation, and other harmful content spread across digital platforms. Conroy most recently served as a criminal intelligence analyst with TikTok’s U.S. Data Security (USDS) FUSE Intelligence unit. Before that, she was a U.S. research fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Digital Forensic Research Lab, leading domestic research on extremism, disinformation campaigns, and technology-enabled threats, including those involving artificial intelligence. 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