'Die in your rage': Islamist attacks and murder plots are quickly adding up
Islamic terrorism may be undergoing a resurgence in the U.S., energized in part by the latest conflict in the Middle East.
According to a U.S. House Committee on Homeland Security terror threat assessment report published last year, there were over 50 jihadist cases in 30 states between April 2021 and June 2025, including vehicle ramming attacks and efforts to provide material support to ISIS.
Last year, for instance, started off with the slaughter of 14 Americans and the grievous injury of scores of additional victims in New Orleans by Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a radical whom the FBI revealed had pledged allegiance to ISIS.
'This isn’t a religion that just stands when people talk about the blessed name of the prophet.'
The perennial threat of violence by adherents of Islamist ideology do not appear to be letting up — and if the rash of attacks and attempted attacks that have already occurred this month are any indication, the reverse might be true.
New York
A pair of Pennsylvania residents with alleged ties to radical Islam — Emir Balat and Ibrahim Kayumi — were arrested on March 7 after two homemade improvised explosive devices were ignited near anti-Islam protesters outside Gracie Mansion in New York City.
"This was an alleged ISIS-inspired act of terrorism that could have killed American citizens," Attorney General Pamela Bondi said in a statement.
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche noted, "These men allegedly sought to inflict mass casualties in service to ISIS with the hope of exceeding the carnage of the Boston Marathon bombing."
An FBI examination of the explosive devices revealed that "they were each approximately the size of a mason jar; that they each had an attached fuse; and that they each had nuts and bolts attached to the exterior, surrounded by duct tape," according to the criminal complaint.
The first device contained "TATP, a highly volatile explosive that is colloquially known as the 'Mother of Satan' and extremely sensitive to impact, friction, and heat. TATP has been used in multiple terrorist attacks over the last decade," the DOJ press release said.
According to the complaint, Balat allegedly told police after his arrest, "This isn’t a religion that just stands when people talk about the blessed name of the prophet. ... We take action! We take action!"
After arriving at the precinct, Balat allegedly requested a piece of paper and wrote, "All praise is due to Allah lord of all worlds! I pledge my allegiance to the Islamic State. Die in your rage yu [sic] kuffar!"
Kuffar or kafir is a derogatory Arabic term for a non-Muslim, an alternate to "infidel," used by radicals including Muhammad Masood — a Pakistani doctor who worked for the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, New York, and pleaded guilty in 2022 to attempting to provide ISIS with material support.
Virginia
On Thursday, an American who pleaded guilty in 2016 to similarly attempting to provide material support to ISIS opened fire on ROTC students in a classroom at Virginia's Old Dominion University.
'The unit is responsible for launching hundreds of rockets.'
Before heroic students subdued Mohamed Bailor Jalloh and "rendered him no longer alive," the 36-year-old shooter killed Lt. Col. Brandon Shah, a professor of military science at Old Dominion's Army Reserve Officers' Training Corps.
Dominique Evans, an FBI special agent, said that "prior to him conducting this act of terrorism, he shouted ... or stated 'Allahu akbar.'"
Authorities said that Jalloh admitted in 2016 to carrying out an attack similar to the Fort Hood massacre where Nidal Malik Hasan, a U.S. citizen whose radicalization to violent Islamist extremism was reportedly clear to his superiors and peers, murdered 12 U.S. service members and one Pentagon civilian employee.
Michigan
Just hours later on March 12, a Lebanese native rammed a vehicle into Temple Israel, a Detroit-area Reform synagogue with a preschool and religious education school on-site. Ayman Mohamad Ghazali, the suspect who reportedly killed himself when confronted by security personnel, appears at the very least to have been associated with Islamic terrorists.
Officials have confirmed that Ghazali, who was granted U.S. citizenship in February 2016, lost family members — including two brothers, Qassem and Ibrahim — in the recent Israeli military strikes in Lebanon.
The Israel Defense Forces alleged in a statement on Sunday that Ibrahim Ghazali was a Hezbollah commander "responsible for managing weapons operations within a specialized branch of the Badr Unit. The unit is responsible for launching hundreds of rockets toward Israeli civilians throughout the war."
Hassan Qazwini, the leader of the Islamic Institute of America in Dearborn Heights, told the New York Times that Ghazali attended a service at his center for the first time earlier this month.
Dearborn appears to have incubated a great many other Islamic radicals over the years.
'There were indicators.'
On Oct. 31, 2025, for instance, the FBI arrested a pair of Dearborn residents, Mohmed Ali and Majed Mahmoud, for allegedly planning to carry out a terrorist attack on behalf of ISIS. Ayob Nasser was later arrested and charged in connection with the alleged plot.
The trio — each of whom has been charged with conspiring to provide material support to ISIS as well as with having firearms that would be used to commit an act of terrorism on behalf of the jihadist terrorist organization — allegedly scouted the nearby city of Ferndale for possible targets.
Texas
In the early hours of March 1, a suspect armed with a pistol and a rifle opened fire outside Buford's Backyard Beer Garden in Austin, killing two individuals and wounding 14 others.
The man whom authorities identified as the shooter, 53-year-old Ndiaga Diagne, shot at patrons outside the bar through the window of an SUV. He then parked the vehicle nearby and opened fire with a rifle on unsuspecting pedestrians.
Police intercepted the gunman, then permanently neutralized the threat.
The FBI indicated that "there were indicators ... on the subject and in his vehicle that indicate potential nexus to terrorism," and a law enforcement official told CNN that the dead suspect was wearing a shirt with an Iranian flag design on it as well as a hoodie emblazoned with the text, "Property of Allah."
A Quran was reportedly also recovered from Diagne's vehicle.
Diagne entered the U.S. from Senegal on a B-2 tourist visa in March 2000 and was naturalized in April 2013, seven years after his marriage to an American citizen. Over 97% of the Senegalese population identify as Muslim.
There was another incident earlier this month in the Lone Star State that had all of the markings of another potential tragedy.
Kyle Najm Chris, a 39-year-old Iraqi native who also goes by Muhi Mohanan Najm, entered Zwink Elementary School in Spring, Texas, through an unsecured door on March 10, allegedly armed with a holstered firearm and a taser and wearing military attire, reported KHOU-TV.
The Klein Independent School District said in a statement that when confronted by an employee and asked for identification, Chris — who became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 2022 and reportedly has no affiliation with either the school or the district — allegedly declined to identify himself. Staff contacted the school's armed campus guard, and Chris, barred from entering deeper into the school on account of its "secure vestibule" system, left without incident.
Chris has been arrested and charged with felony possession of a prohibited weapon. He allegedly told authorities that he was a security guard, but court records reviewed by KRIV-TV show that the Iraqi native is currently unemployed and holds neither a security license nor a peace officer certification.
A neighbor told KTRK-TV that Chris is a veteran and suggested that this might be a misunderstanding.
Europe
In recent days, there have been multiple potential Islamist terrorist attacks in other Western nations.
On March 8, an IED was placed outside the U.S. embassy in Oslo, Norway. The blast caused minor damage and resulted in no injuries, reported the BBC.
Three brothers, all Norwegian citizens in their 20s with links to Iraq, were arrested in connection with the attack. Their mother was later arrested on suspicion of involvement with the attack. Frode Larsen, head of the Oslo police investigation unit, said that the bombing — which is being treated as a likely terrorism attack — may have been linked to the conflict unfolding in the Middle East, reported CBS News.
On March 9, an explosion went off outside the main doors of a synagogue in the Belgian city of Liège on March 9. The blast reportedly inflicted only minor damage and resulted in no injuries. Nevertheless, a group calling itself the Islamic Movement of the Companions of the Right reportedly claimed responsibility for the Liège bombing.
French police reportedly stopped a pair of Moroccan-Italian nationals last week whom they suspect were plotting a "lethal and anti-Semitic" attack. The suspects were found to be in the possession of a semi-automatic weapon, a bottle of hydrochloric acid, and an ISIS flag.
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'Property of Allah': Austin mass shooting possibly act of terrorism, officials say
Early Sunday morning, a foreign-born radical armed with a pistol and a rifle allegedly opened fire outside Buford's Backyard Beer Garden in Austin, killing two individuals and wounding 14 others.
Authorities indicated that the now-dead suspect, identified as 53-year-old Ndiaga Diagne, drove around the area several times in an SUV before taking aim through a vehicle window at patrons outside the bar.
'This act of violence will not define us.'
Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis noted during a press conference on Sunday that after the initial shooting, the suspect parked his SUV nearby, then opened fire with a rifle on unsuspecting pedestrians. Police intercepted the suspect as he made his way down East 6th Street and fatally shot him.
Once the dead suspect's vehicle was identified, the APD's bomb squad ensured that there were no explosives present.
Austin Mayor Kirk Watson lauded the work of the first responders and police officers who rushed into action on Sunday morning, noting that they "saved countless lives."
While law enforcement is still investigating the shooter's motives, Alex Doran, an active special agent with the FBI's San Antonio field office, noted that "there were indicators ... on the subject and in his vehicle that indicate potential nexus to terrorism."
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Doran would not comment on the nature of those "indicators." However, a law enforcement official told CNN that the dead suspect was wearing a shirt with an Iranian flag design on it as well as a hoodie emblazoned with the text, "Property of Allah."
A law enforcement official told the New York Times that a Quran was recovered from the suspect's vehicle.
The Department of Homeland Security reportedly indicated that Diagne entered the U.S. on a B-2 tourist visa in March 2000 and was naturalized in April 2013, seven years after his marriage to an American citizen.
A law enforcement official familiar with the investigation told CNN that the suspect, who was arrested in 2022 on a charge of collision with vehicle damage, is originally from the Sunni Muslim nation of Senegal.
On Sunday afternoon, federal and local authorities reportedly raided a house outside Pflugerville, roughly 30 miles north of the shooting, where the suspect apparently resided.
While officials did not immediately name the victims, University of Texas at Austin President Jim Davis said in a statement on Sunday that among those impacted by the shooting are "members of our Longhorn family."
Ryder Harrington, a Texas Tech Red Raider, was ultimately identified by loved ones as one of the decedents.
A GoFundMe page raising funds for the Harrington family noted that "Ryder was a beloved son, brother, and friend whose kindness and presence touched countless lives. From the moment he joined our brotherhood, he brought a light that was impossible to ignore."
Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows (R) noted, "From all accounts, Ryder was exactly the kind of young man who made a difference without even trying — full of life, loyal to his friends, proud to be a Red Raider and a Texan, and someone who showed up for the people around him."
"This act of violence will not define us, nor will it shake the resolve of Texans," Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) said in response to the shooting.
"To anyone who thinks about using the current conflict in the Middle East to threaten Texans or our critical infrastructure, understand this clearly: Texas will respond with decisive and overwhelming force to protect our state," added the governor.
Abbott indicated further that on Saturday, he directed the Texas Military Department to activate service members to work with federal and state partners to "safeguard our communities and critical infrastructure" and tasked the Texas Department of Public Safety and Texas National Guard with intensifying patrols and surveillance.
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CIA Yanks 19 Docs ‘Compromised’ By Leftist Activism, Including Threat Assessment Targeting ‘Traditional Motherhood’
The CIA’s commitment to advancing leftist activism appears to span at least three presidential administrations beginning in 2015.
Inside the left’s push to reshape 2028 with ranked-choice voting
If Democrats seem extreme now, wait until they adopt ranked-choice voting. Some activists inside the party want exactly that — a reform that would push presidential nominations even further left and force establishment figures to navigate an ideological gauntlet to win.
Multiple reports indicate that Democratic Party activists and elected officials are pressuring the party to adopt ranked-choice voting for its 2028 presidential primaries. Axios notes that the push has grown serious enough that top party officials met in late October with advocates including Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), pollster Celinda Lake, and representatives from FairVote Action.
Ranked-choice voting would pour accelerant on a process already pulling Democrats further left.
Such an effort fits a long pattern: For decades, Democrats have shifted presidential nominations away from party leadership. On ranked-choice voting specifically, several states already use it — Maine and Alaska among them — along with deep-blue cities such as New York, Minneapolis, San Francisco, and Seattle.
Ranked-choice voting takes multiple forms, but New York City’s model illustrates the dynamic. Voters rank up to five candidates. If no candidate wins an initial majority, the last-place candidate drops out, and those voters’ second-choice votes are redistributed. This “loser leaves” process continues until a candidate secures a majority.
Assuming rational behavior, Democratic voters would likely rank candidates from more extreme to less extreme. That pattern would advantage the leftmost candidates again and again as lower-preference votes transfer upward.
This structural boost would encourage both supply and demand for extreme candidacies. Candidates on the ideological edge would have more incentive to run. Voters who prefer them would have more influence. Ranked-choice voting’s supporters tout this expanded participation as a virtue.
Offering voters multiple choices would foster coalition-building. Knowing the race may go to multiple rounds, candidates would angle for second- and third-choice votes. The horse-trading once done in old convention “smoke-filled rooms” would unfold publicly through a series of ranked ballots.
But the key question is simple: Why would ranked-choice voting necessarily supercharge extremism inside the Democratic Party? Because the system rewards voters for casting marginal votes — and among today’s Democrats, “marginal” means “further left.”
The party’s ideological shift is measurable. In Gallup’s 2023 polling, 54% of Democrats identified as liberal — an all-time high. Support for democratic socialists in major-city mayoral primaries shows how rapidly the party’s activist base has moved left. In 1995, the liberal share of the party was 25%, roughly equal to conservatives. Three decades later, conservatives make up just 10% of Democrats.
Exit polling confirms the trend: In 2024, 91% of self-identified liberals voted for Kamala Harris; only 9% of conservatives did.
Extrapolate from this trajectory, and the danger becomes even clearer. Extreme candidates increasingly win Democratic primaries in major cities. Those cities dominate statewide Democratic politics. And in closed primaries, only Democrats vote — meaning the hyper-engaged activist left already sets the terms of competition. Ranked-choice voting would amplify that influence. The same voters who nominated democratic socialists in New York and Seattle would wield disproportionate power in a presidential contest.
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Consider how the 2020 Democratic primary might have played out under ranked-choice voting. Joe Biden — an establishment candidate favored by moderates — would have faced a field dominated by Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Pete Buttigieg, Tom Steyer, and others to his left. Ranked-choice voting would have forced him through a gauntlet designed by the party’s most ideological voters.
This trend is not new. In 1972, George McGovern reshaped Democratic nominating rules and then benefited from the changes. Since then, the party has repeatedly weakened its establishment’s role (with key exceptions). Ranked-choice voting would accelerate that shift dramatically.
With moderates now only 36% of the party, according to Gallup, how could they resist a move toward ranked-choice voting? More importantly, which remaining moderate or establishment Democrat could survive a ranked-choice system dominated by the party’s left wing?
Ranked-choice voting would pour accelerant on a process already pulling Democrats further left. The only question is how long it takes for the party to adopt it — and how long the party can remain viable nationally if it does.
Trump Is Not To Blame For Democrats Electing Violent Extremists
Democrats have a long history of defending and electing party leaders engaged in the worst behavior imaginable, while Republican voters are still rejecting extremists.
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