Email from Counter Extremism Project (CEP) Global News on Extremism and Terrorism Eye on Extremism May 16, 2025   Top Stories Reuters: Al Qaeda affiliate says 200 soldiers killed in Burkina Faso attack A West African al Qaeda affiliate said it killed 200 soldiers in an attack on an army base in Burkina Faso this week, sharply increasing its earlier death toll claim, according to a group that tracks the online activity of Islamist militants. Jama'a Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin (JNIM) made the latest declaration via a formal statement, U.S.-based SITE Intelligence Group said on Thursday, a day after it said JNIM had claimed to have killed 60 soldiers. ARD: Seriously injured police officer at “Pro-Palestinian” demonstration in Berlin A demonstration to mark the Palestinian Nakba memorial day at Südstern in Berlin-Kreuzberg has been broken up by the police after violent clashes on Thursday evening. A police spokesman told rbb. Demonstrators had previously attacked the police with bottles and stones, among other things. Ten officers were injured, one of them seriously. The man was dragged into the crowd and trampled on, the police said. He was taken to hospital. At least 50 people were arrested. At its peak, 1100 people took part in the demonstration, according to the police. Images showed police wearing helmets trying to push back demonstrators. The police also deployed a water cannon. It was reported that participants had tried to form a march despite the ban and had knotted their banners, among other things. The water cannon was deployed to block a possible route. In loud and aggressive chants, speakers and demonstrators shouted "Child murderer Israel, woman murderer Israel, baby murderer Israel", "Yallah, yallah Intifada" and "From the river to the sea".   CounterPoint Blogs & Briefs Party, Brawls, and Posts: The New Neo-Nazi Youth Scene in Germany Repatriation Challenges: How the Change of Regime in Syria Affected European Detainee Women in Roj Camp CounterPoint Brief: The Attack in Indian Kashmir Draws Attention to a Decades-Long Conflict The Houthi Propaganda Machine Meets Reality   CEP Mentions TV interview (in German) with CEP Senior Director Dr. Hans-Jakob Schindler on arrest warrant for suspected Kremlin saboteurs in Germany The interview starts at 2:58. Analysis Washington Institute: The Developing Cracks in Khamenei’s Cult of Personality Until now, Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had been happy with the comparisons his hard-core supporters make between him and Ali ibn Abi Talib—Shia Islam’s first divinely ordained Imam. Ironically, this insistence on Khamenei’s infallability, combined with the current acquiescence to strategic flexibility or policy concession, is eroding that sense of trust with Khamenei’s core base of hardline supporters. United States Reuters: Trump says Iran needs to move quickly on proposal U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday said Iran has his administration's proposal and knows it needs to move quickly, a day after saying Washington and Tehran were close to a nuclear deal. "They have a proposal. More importantly, they know they have to move quickly or something bad—something bad's going to happen," Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One after departing the United Arab Emirates, according to an audio recording of the remarks. The Guardian: White Afrikaner brought to US by Trump administration has history of antisemitic posts One of the white Afrikaners brought into the US as refugees by the Trump administration this week has a history of antisemitic social media posts, despite the White House using alleged antisemitism as a rationale for deporting pro-Palestinian protesters. Charl Kleinhaus posted on X in 2023 that “Jews are untrustworthy and a dangerous group.” In another post last fall, he shared a rightwing, nationalist YouTube video that was later removed, titled: “‘We’ll shoot ILLEGAL Immigrants!’ – Poland’s Illegal Islamic immigrant solution,” with clapping emojis. The Guardian: Faith leaders denounce US book burning as hate-fuelled intimidation A group of faith leaders in Ohio denounced a recent alleged hate crime in the state, in which a man burned books belonging to a public library. The destroyed books were on Jewish, African American and LGBTQ+ history. “Unfortunately, this is one of those things that’s, like, I’m shocked, but not surprised, every time it happens,” Rev Ryan Wallace of Fairmount Presbyterian told the Guardian in an interview. “We need to not get complacent. Every time it happens, we have to be there to say, ‘this is unacceptable.’” Wall Street Journal: ‘Gatekeepers Are Dead’: Kanye West’s Antisemitic Song Plays On Despite Takedowns There was a time in the music business that a song paying homage to Hitler, even one by a hit rapper, would have been shut out of popular culture. Not so in the age of TikTok and X. Controversial rapper Kanye West’s latest antisemitic provocation—a song with the hook “Heil Hitler”—is going viral on social media after being removed from streaming services like Spotify and Apple Music. The song got even more attention after it was discussed on star podcaster Joe Rogan’s show this week and on X by comedian Russell Brand, who called West “uncancellable” and the song’s hook “catchy.” Associated Press: Man who stabbed author Salman Rushdie on stage sentenced to 25 years in prison The man convicted of stabbing Salman Rushdie on a New York lecture stage in 2022, leaving the prizewinning author blind in one eye, was sentenced Friday to serve 25 years in prison. A jury found Hadi Matar, 27, guilty of attempted murder and assault in February. Roll Call: Senate panel leaders back Trump’s lifting of sanctions on Syria The leaders of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Thursday offered rare bipartisan support for an executive action this week by President Donald Trump — the lifting of longstanding U.S. sanctions on Syria in a bid to offer the Arab country’s new government a chance after 14 years of civil war. Naharnet: US sanctions three 'Hezbollah officials and financial facilitators' The United States has sanctioned “a network of senior Hezbollah officials and financial facilitators,” the U.S. State Department said. “These individuals, located in Lebanon and Iran, collaborate with Hezbollah leadership to manage significant financial transfers from international donors, which are crucial to the Hezbollah budget,” the State Department added in a statement. Mass Live: 6 Mass. schools are under federal investigation for antisemitism. What are the claims? In March, six Massachusetts colleges and universities were named in a Department of Education announcement that 60 schools nationwide are under federal investigation for purported antisemitism. It appears that many of the complaints predate President Donald Trump’s second administration and were filed in the aftermath of the Hamas attack on Israel and the ensuing war in Gaza. Jewish Telegraphic Agency: Man who made antisemitic threats against Sen. Jacky Rosen sentenced to almost 4 years in prison A Las Vegas man who sent antisemitic death threats to Sen. Jacky Rosen, a Nevada Jewish Democrat, was sentenced to almost four years in prison Tuesday. John Anthony Miller, 44, pleaded guilty to one count of threatening a federal official as well as two more charges related to the threats in December, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Nevada. Jewish Telegraphic Agency: NYC penalizes organizers of community garden that required members to oppose Zionism Organizers of a community garden in Ridgewood, Queens, that required members to oppose Zionism may now lose their city license. Applicants to the Sunset Community Garden were asked to sign a “statement of values” that included opposition to Zionism, antisemitism and “nationalist and/or racist beliefs.” Jerusalem Post: Harvard settles Jewish student's lawsuit over alleged antisemitism Harvard University has settled a high-profile lawsuit by an Orthodox Jewish student who accused the Ivy League school of ignoring antisemitism on campus. Alexander Kestenbaum, who is known as Shabbos, and Harvard jointly agreed to end the case, according to a dismissal notice filed on Thursday in Boston federal court. "Harvard and Mr. Kestenbaum acknowledge each other's steadfast and important efforts to combat antisemitism at Harvard and elsewhere," the university said in a statement on Thursday. "Harvard and Mr. Kestenbaum are pleased to have resolved the litigation.” Settlement terms were not disclosed. Lawyers for Kestenbaum did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The settlement came four months after Harvard promised additional protections for Jewish students, as it resolved two lawsuits claiming it was a hotbed of rampant antisemitism. Jerusalem Post: Senior Hamas officials claims direct talks with US despite denial from American officials Despite denial from US officials, senior Hamas official Bassem Naim confirmed that the terror organization is holding direct talks with the US, Israeli media reported Thursday, citing an interview with Sky News in Arabic. "We believe that President Trump is doing the hard work of reducing tensions in the region, which is what motivates us to continue communicating with the American administration, regardless of the team," Naim said. Naim also claimed that Hamas told the deal mediators and the US that Hamas is ready to return all the hostages immediately if the terror group receives a promise that it will lead to an end to the war and the entry of aid into Gaza. On the Israeli side, there have been difficulties in renewed hostage negotiations in Doha, and no progress has been made, sources familiar with the details told The Jerusalem Post on Thursday. Jerusalem Post: Trump says US should take over Gaza Strip, turn it into a 'freedom zone' The US should take control of the Gaza Strip, deal with Hamas, and turn it into a freedom zone, US President Donald Trump said Thursday in Qatar. “If it’s necessary, I think I’d be proud to have the United States have it, take it, make it a freedom zone,” he said during a business roundtable. “Let some good things happen, put people in homes where they can be safe, and Hamas is going to have to be dealt with,” Trump was quoted as saying. “They’ve never solved the Gaza problem, and if you look at it, I have aerial shots,” he said. “I mean, there’s practically no building standing; there’s no building. People are living under the rubble of buildings that collapsed, which is not acceptable. It’s a tremendous death. And I want to see that be a freedom zone.” Canada CBC: Toronto man pleads guilty to terrorism charges, including financing ISIS, RCMP says The RCMP says a 36-year-old man from Toronto has pleaded guilty to two charges in what the force calls the largest terrorism financing scheme in Canada's history. Mounties say Khalilullah Yousuf used cryptocurrency and money transfers to fund a terrorist organization outside of Canada between September 2019 and December 2022. Germany Jüdische Allgemeine: Peter Neumann on the AfD report by the Office for the Protection of the Constitution The report makes it clear that the AfD is no longer the party it was ten years ago, but has changed dramatically over the past five years. The officially dissolved "wing" around Björn Höcke calls the shots in the party and controls around two thirds of the board members. These people have an understanding of the people that is fundamentally at odds with the Basic Law. The problem is that this report is not so stringently argued that the decisive sections would focus on a specific part or passage. They can be found again and again in larger sections on other topics. For example, the report certainly contains 25 pages on how the AfD would like to deport asylum seekers or foreigners who are obliged to leave the country. This is a right-wing demand, but not right-wing extremist. The crucial point - namely that the AfD would also like to deport people who are here legally due to their nationalist world view - only comes later. N-TV: Fight against "Reichsbürger" - Police arrest man with arsenal of weapons and bunker A suspected "Reichsbürger" has been arrested during a search near Lingen. Among other things, converted weapons of war, fully automatic rifles and a bunker were found on the 57-year-old's private property in Lohne in the county of Bentheim in Lower Saxony, according to the police. Before the search, which lasted several hours on Monday last week, there were extensive investigations into the man. According to previous findings, the police believe that the 57-year-old belongs to the group "Vereinte Nation wenea". According to the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, this is a group of so-called Reich citizens or self-administrators whose aim is to organize a new community and form of government. In addition to the equipped bunker and weapons, the officers also found considerable amounts of ammunition on the property. They also seized evidence such as data storage media. The 57-year-old is being investigated for violations of the Weapons and War Weapons Control Act. His pre-trial detention was suspended in exchange for a reporting requirement. Hungary Hungarian Conservative: German Weapons Trafficker with Antisemitic Ties Arrested in Budapest A 5-year-old German man, wanted for serious crimes including antisemitic-motivated offenses and illegal arms trafficking, was arrested in Budapest this week by Hungarian authorities. According to a statement from the National Bureau of Investigation (KR NNI), the man was apprehended at Nyugati Railway Station after disembarking from an InterCity train arriving from Szolnok. Poland Reuters: Polish ruling party reports attack on its website before election The website of Poland's ruling Civic Platform party was hit by a cyberattack on Friday, a senior party official said, hours before the start of a campaign blackout before the first round of Sunday's presidential election. Liberal Warsaw Mayor Rafal Trzaskowski, a senior member of PO, is pitted against historian Karol Nawrocki, who runs Poland's Institute of National Remembrance, and far-right nationalist Slawomir Mentzen. Romania Kyiv Post: EU Braces for Far-Right George Simion Win in Romania The European Union is bracing for yet another far-right politician to join the 27-nation club of leaders, with George Simion the favourite to win Romania’s presidential election on Sunday. Yet, while many in Brussels are wary of Simion’s brand of politics -- the nationalist eurosceptic is a big fan of US President Donald Trump -- there is also a keenness not to overplay the impact of a potential victory. Spain Barron’s: 'Want Change': In Spain, Far Right Finds Support With Romanians Far From Home Romania's far-right presidential candidate George Simion has found strong support in a faraway place as he heads for a tense run-off election Sunday: Coslada, a shabby dormitory town outside Madrid with a large Romanian community. The Spanish town of 80,000 people -- more than 20 percent of them Romanian -- shows the backing Simion has gotten from compatriots abroad, who are poised to help the 38-year-old win against his pro-European rival, Nicusor Dan, the centrist mayor of Bucharest. Gaza Strip Associated Press: 54 people killed in overnight airstrikes on southern Gaza city Multiple airstrikes hit Gaza’s southern city of Khan Younis overnight into Thursday, killing more than 50 people in a second consecutive night of heavy bombing, while another airstrike in the north of the Palestinian territory left more than a dozen people dead, authorities said. The strikes come as U.S. President Donald Trump visits the Middle East, visiting Gulf states but not Israel. There had been widespread hope that Trump’s regional visit could usher in a ceasefire deal or renewal of humanitarian aid to Gaza. An Israeli blockade of the territory is now in its third month. Iran Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty: Syria's Shift Away From Iran Sparks Media Backlash After Trump Meets With Ahmed al-Sharaa US President Donald Trump's historic meeting with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, has not gone over well with the hard-line media in Iran. Moderate outlets largely stuck to straight reporting of the meeting, but conservative media -- upset over Syria's sharp pivot away from Tehran -- criticized Trump for meeting with the insurgent-turned-president. Israel Reuters: Israeli military intercepts Houthi missile launched from Yemen The Israeli military intercepted a missile launched by Yemen's Houthis on Thursday following alarms that sounded in several areas of Israel, the army said in a statement. The Iran-backed Houthis, in a televised speech, claimed responsibility for the attack. Reuters: Israeli army kills five Palestinian militants in West Bank after pregnant settler killed Israel's military killed five Palestinian militants in the occupied West Bank on Thursday, hours after a pregnant settler was killed in a shooting, as hardline pro-settler leaders including a government minister called for Palestinian towns to be razed. The military said in a statement it had killed five "terrorists" and arrested a sixth who had barricaded themselves in a building in Tamoun, following an exchange of gunfire and the use of shoulder-fired missiles by Israeli soldiers. Jerusalem Post: Defense officials see military crackdown on West Bank terror as limited The terrorist attack on Wednesday near Peduel in the Binyamin Region of the West Bank highlighted a point that senior IDF and Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) officials, former and current, have made throughout the war: Crackdowns can reduce terrorism temporarily, but to sustain calm and security, there also must be positive incentives. What the positive incentives should be is an extensive debate. Some defense officials favor merely bringing back all or most of the 210,000 Palestinian workers from the West Bank who were employed before the Israel-Hamas War. Others support this but also believe that Israel needs to be making larger strategic offers to the Palestinian Authority regarding the future, building in new uninhabited areas of the West Bank, or providing greater aspects of autonomy in various political or economic areas. Times of Israel: Witkoff told mediators US not planning to force Israel to end Gaza war, officials say Since hostage talks between Israel and Hamas resumed in Doha on Wednesday, US special envoy to the Mideast Steve Witkoff has told other mediators that Washington doesn’t plan to force Israel to end the war in Gaza amid Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s staunch refusal to do so, two Arab officials told The Times of Israel on Thursday. Lebanon Reuters: UN peacekeepers attacked by civilians in Lebanon, no casualties reported A large group of civilians wielding metal rods and axes attacked a patrol of U.N. troops in southern Lebanon on Friday, causing damage to U.N. vehicles but no injuries, a United Nations peacekeeping force said. The U.N. troops used non-lethal force to protect themselves and those present, according to the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), adding the patrol had been on a routine operation between the villages of Jmayjmeh and Khirbat Silim. Naharnet: Salam says 'no turning back' in plans to monopolize arms Prime Minister Nawaf Salam has said that Lebanon “has managed to pave the way for a promising new start, despite all the difficulties that the project of rebuilding confidence and the course of reform are facing.” Naharnet: Ortagus to visit Beirut in a week, says occupation doesn't justify Hezbollah arms U.S. Deputy Special Envoy for the Middle East Morgan Ortagus will return to Lebanon in around a week, al-Joumhouria newspaper reported on Friday. In an evening interview with LBCI television, Ortagus confirmed the imposition of new U.S. sanctions targeting three Hezbollah “financiers”, stressing Washington's commitment to cutting off illicit financing to Iran and its proxies in the Middle East. Naharnet: Hezbollah will 'go far' in the issue of arms handover Hezbollah will “go far” in the issue of the handover of its weapons to the Lebanese state and it will “embarrass” everyone, a source close to Hezbollah said. “Consensus between Hezbollah and the Lebanese president has become bigger than the issue of arms handover and dialogue between Presidenty Joseph Aoun and Hezbollah is ongoing, without specifying any deadlines or dates,” the source added, in remarks to Al-Arabiya’s Al-Hadath channel. Syria Jerusalem Post: Syria's Sharaa open to Golan Heights deal, limiting Iranian presence Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa was not the only one to celebrate US President Donald Trump’s decision on Tuesday to lift sanctions on Syria. “I think this is an opportunity that President Sharaa needs to seize and truly use to rebuild Syria into a free and prosperous nation,” Rep. Marlin Stutzman (R-Indiana) told The Jerusalem Post on Thursday. “If we can relieve some of that pressure and start the rebuilding process, I think that would be a positive step.” In April, he became the first member of Congress to visit Damascus since the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in December. Sharaa “really wants to change the country,” Stutzman told the Post. Times of Israel: Report: Israel holding talks with Syria on Sharaa regime joining Abraham Accords Israel has been holding secret talks with Syrian officials in recent days, including on the possibility of the new regime joining the Abraham Accords, according to a report Thursday, a day after US President Trump invited new Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa to join the accords and normalize ties with Israel. Yemen Long War Journal: Houthis begin rebuilding after airstrikes, rely on extortion to finance projects The Iran-backed Houthi terrorist regime in northern Yemen is undertaking an expensive rebuilding effort following seven weeks of US airstrikes during Operation Rough Rider and recent strikes by Israel. The reconstruction effort will be exorbitantly expensive for the governing regime of the impoverished region, so the Houthis are exploiting Yemeni citizens to raise the necessary funds. India  Reuters: India calls for IAEA oversight of Pakistan's nuclear weapons India's defence minister said on Thursday that the International Atomic Energy Agency should take charge of Pakistan's nuclear weapons, days after the nuclear-armed neighbours ended their worst military conflict in nearly three decades. Fighting broke out last week after India struck what it called "terrorist camps" in Pakistan in retaliation for an attack it said was backed by Pakistan in Indian Kashmir last month that killed 26 people. 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