• The Rise and Fall of Terrorgram: Inside a Global Online Hate Network

    White supremacists from around the world used Telegram to spread hateful content promoting murder and destruction in a community they called Terrorgram. ProPublica and FRONTLINE identified 35 crimes linked to Terrorgram, including bomb plots, stabbings, and shootings. After several arrests of alleged Terrorgram members and reforms by Telegram, experts expect that extremists will find a new platform for their hate.

  • Is “Fake” Terrorism Still Terrorism? Here’s What the Sydney Caravan Incident Tells Us

    The recent discovery of a caravan full of explosives in Dural, in Sydney’s northwest, caused significant fear about the possibility of a mass casualty attack. The Australian Federal Police declared it and 14 antisemitic attacks a “con job” by organized criminals who were trying to distract police or use it as a bargaining chip to influence prosecutions. Can “fake” terrorism still be terrorism, especially if it causes significant fear?

  • From Home to Horror: The Association Between Domestic Violence and Terrorism

    Domestic violence is an under-recognized early indicator of terrorism. It is not a reliable solitary indicator, but when observed alongside risk factors, it can prompt authorities to take a closer look at a potential terrorist.

  • Teenage Terrorists and the Digital Ecosystem of the Islamic State

    As an older generation of Islamic State ideologues, fighters, and propagandists dies out or is arrested, and the center of gravity for the Islamic State as a group shifts to Central Asia and Africa, a younger cadre of supporters is taking up the mantle of support for the group. They are forming the backbone of an unofficial ecosystem of Islamic State support spread across platforms, while evading takedowns and producing unsanctioned content in the name of the group.

  • How a Global Online Network of White Supremacists Groomed a Teen to Kill

    Neo-Nazi influencers on the social media platform Telegram created a network of chats and channels where they stoked racist, antisemitic and homophobic hate. The influencers, known as the Terrorgram Collective, targeted a teen in Slovakia and groomed him for three years to kill.

  • Extremists Align in Targeting LGBTQ+ Communities

    Research has found that many terrorist groups with differing ideological motivations share common ground in targeting LGBTQ+ communities.

  • U.S.-Pakistan Operation to Capture “Top Terrorist”' Signals Deep Counterterrorism Cooperation Despite Cold Ties: Experts

    The U.S. Justice Department plans Wednesday to present in a federal court in Virginia the alleged mastermind of the August 2021 bombing that killed 13 U.S. troops in Afghanistan. The justice department said Islamic State Khorasan operative Mohammad Sharifullah, also known as “Jafar,” was charged on March 2 with “providing and conspiring to provide material support and resources to a designated foreign terrorist organization resulting in death.”

  • Countering Blockship Attacks in Key U.S. Waterways

    Blockship attacks entail obstructing key waterways by deliberately scuttling ships, running them aground, or having them impale themselves onto infrastructure. Such attacks could delay maritime movements in U.S. or key overseas ports, affecting all U.S. military services and potentially disrupting billions of dollars in commerce.

  • Extremist-Related Murders Set to Rise in 2025

    All extremist-related murders in 2024 were committed by right-wing extremists. Growing concern about a return of violent attacks by homegrown Islamist extremists.

  • “Tulsi Gabbard as US Intelligence Chief Would Undermine Efforts Against the Spread of Chemical and Biological Weapons”: Expert

    The Senate, along party lines, last week confirmed Tulsi Gabbard as Director of National intelligence. One expert on biological and chemical weapons says that Gabbard’s “longstanding history of parroting Russian propaganda talking points, unfounded claims about Syria’s use of chemical weapons, and conspiracy theories all in efforts to undermine the quality of the community she now leads” make her confirmation a “national security malpractice.”

  • Trump Administration Shouldn’t Designate Drug Cartels as Foreign Terrorist Organizations

    Congress has given the president too much authority to prosecute a war on terrorism without sufficient oversight by the legislature and the courts. By designating drug cartels as FTOs, the Trump administration unlocks new powers for itself, creates a new media narrative that could fool many, and reinforces the rest of its anti-immigration and border enforcement agenda.

  • Evidence-Based Solutions to Protect Against Mass Attacks

    Mass attacks like the New Year’s Day incident in New Orleans stir public emotion and have tragic consequences. While the investigations into this case will take time, we know from our work that there are things law enforcement and the public can do to mitigate and perhaps stop mass casualty events.

  • The August 2024 Taylor Swift Vienna Concert Plot

    The Vienna Taylor Swift concert plot highlights an alarming trend of Islamic State-inspired teenage jihadis targeting events to inflict maximum casualties and attract widespread media attention. The plot also underlined that Islamic State Khorasan (ISK), which appears to have inspired the lead plotter, remains an enduring threat, evolving its tactics and strategy while focusing on radicalizing followers and supporters through relentless online propaganda.

  • Trump’s Pardons and Purges Revive Old Question: Who Counts as a Terrorist?

    The president’s sweeping clemency for Capitol rioters and his administration’s ongoing removal of career national security specialists foretell a permissive new climate for extremist movements, say current and former officials and researchers.

  • Mis- and Disinformation Trends and Tactics to Watch in 2025

    Predicting how extremists may weaponize false narratives requires an understanding of the strategies that allow them to spread most effectively.