The terrorist organisation IS has issued a new call to attack churches and synagogues worldwide during Easter.
In a message, Muslims are urged to set fire to Christian and Jewish places of worship as “revenge” for Israel having closed or restricted access to the Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem during Easter and Ramadan.
– Attack when Christians gather in large numbers
IS explicitly mentions the following countries as targets for attacks:
- USA
- Europe (in general)
- Russia
- The United Arab Emirates
- Syria
- Tunisia
- Morocco
The call describes Easter as an “ideal time” for attacks because Christians gather in large numbers in churches.
ISIS has called on Muslims to set fire to churches and synagogues around the world on Easter weekend.
The group called for attacks in the US, Europe, Russia, UAE, Syria, Tunisia, and Morocco in response to the closure of al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. pic.twitter.com/8sy8ecPT7B
— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) April 2, 2026
The spire of Notre Dame during the fire on 15 April 2019. Photo: LEVRIER Guillaume CC BY-SA 4.0
Security services in several European countries and the United States have increased guard presence around churches and synagogues as a result of the threats. Christian and Jewish communities are exposed to a persistent terror threat from jihadist groups, even though ISIS’ organisational capacity has been significantly reduced since its peak years in 2014–2017.
The terrorist organisation IS and affiliated groups have in recent years issued a number of similar threats of attacks against churches at Christmas and Easter.