Terrorist attacks in Sydney, Germany spark Western extremism fears

A terrorist assault at a Hanukkah celebration in Sydney, combined with Germany’s arrest of five suspected Islamist militants accused of planning a Christmas market attack, are reigniting fears that Western democracies are entering a more unstable era marked by ideologically motivated violence.

The incidents, hitting symbolic holiday gatherings around the world, have intensified debate in the United States and Europe over whether open societies are prepared for a resurgence of extremist threats.

The sense of unease grew further after an ISIS-affiliated gunman in Syria killed two U.S. service members and injured a U.S. civilian working alongside U.S. forces. Although the attack took place overseas, national security analysts say it reflects a troubling trend for Western governments: individuals capable of causing harm quickly with minimal planning, driven by broader ideological movements rather than led by terrorist networks.

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In Australia, the Bondi Beach shooting shocked a nation unaccustomed to attacks causing mass casualties. Two gunmen opened fire during a public Hanukkah event known as “Hanukkah by the Sea,” killing at least 15 people and injuring dozens.

Police said the younger of the two attackers had previously come under scrutiny due to potential links to extremists, but was not considered a current threat. Authorities recovered improvised explosive devices that failed to detonate, prompting Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to condemn the shooting as “pure evil” and declare it an anti-Semitic terrorist attack.

Hours later, German authorities announced the arrest of five suspected militants accused of planning an attack on a Christmas market in Bavaria – an easy target with deep cultural resonance and a painful history of extremist violence. Investigators said the suspects were inspired by global jihadist movements and had reached advanced stages of planning.

People gather around a tribute to the shooting victims outside Bondi Pavilion on Sydney’s Bondi Beach on December 15, 2025, a day after a shooting. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)

And over the same weekend, US federal authorities said they had foiled a credible terrorist plot. The FBI has arrested four suspected members of a pro-Palestinian radical extremist group accused of planning coordinated bombings on New Year’s Eve in Los Angeles using improvised explosive devices.

A fifth suspect was arrested in New Orleans in what authorities described as a separate but ideologically aligned plot.

Along with the massacre of U.S. troops in Syria, these incidents have reignited a central question: Is the West prepared for a new era of diffuse extremist violence, capable of erupting in multiple theaters at once — from major cities to isolated patrol bases?

Political pressure is increasing. Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., said the Sydney attack highlighted the consequences of permissive migration policies.

“The mass migration of Islamic extremists has destroyed Europe. Now we see it destroying Australia,” he warned. “We CANNOT allow him to destroy America.”

President Donald Trump He has long argued that unrestricted immigration from countries with values ​​he believes conflict with the West poses a domestic security risk. During his first term, he designated sections of the Muslim Brotherhood as a foreign terrorist organization.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio characterized the threat as ideological rather than geographical, saying last week on Fox News: “Radical Islam has shown that their desire is not just to occupy part of the world…they want to expand.” »

Elon Musk ” further amplified the debate by writing: “Either the suicidal empathy of Western civilization ends, or Western civilization will end. »

Israeli Knesset member says Australian officials ‘did nothing’ amid rising anti-Semitism ahead of Sydney attack

Extremism researchers note that recent incidents reflect a familiar pattern of modern Islamist violence: attackers exploit easy targets, act with limited preparation and draw inspiration from global ideological movements even when they have no direct operational ties. The shootings in Sydney, the foiled plots in Germany and the United States and the gunman in Syria have all demonstrated how quickly such violence can surface, even in countries with strong counter-terrorism systems.

Authorities have arrested five people suspected of planning a terrorist attack on a Christmas market in Bavaria. (Jürgen Sack/Getty Images)

Michael Makovsky, president of the Jewish Institute for National Security of America, said the incidents in Sydney, Germany and Syria reflect a broader trend that Western leaders have been slow to address.

“Clearly, the threat has not diminished,” Makovsky said, adding that extremist networks appear more vibrant following recent conflicts in the Middle East.

He criticized governments who he said underestimated the risks.

“People have alerted the Australian government… there’s a rise in Islamic extremism, and they just haven’t done anything,” he said of the Sydney attack, questioning how a Jewish public event of such scale lacked heavy security. “I don’t know where the security was in all of this and why the police took so long to respond.”

Two American soldiers were killed on Saturday in Syria by an isolated Islamic State gunman. (John Moore/Getty Images)

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Makovsky praised the Trump administration’s efforts to confront rising anti-Semitism, but warned that the United States may be overlooking the risks inherent in its partnership with Syria’s new leader Ahmed al-Shaara, a former wanted terrorist.

“The administration is currently very invested in Shaara and seems to want to downplay the fact that the killer was from Shaara’s security forces,” he said. “There are still a lot of bad people around Shaara.”

As investigators from three countries piece together motivations and networks, policymakers face a possibility that many had hoped would recede: Extremist violence, driven by global ideological currents rather than coordinated plots, could enter a new phase — one that challenges the assumptions that Western countries have relied on to keep their citizens safe.