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Irish Examiner
15 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Boys sucked into violent online networks and carrying out far-right attacks
Young men and boys with personal struggles, who are socially isolated and who have a 'persistent interest in weapons' are getting sucked into extremist online communities and carrying out far-right attacks, an EU report has said. European police said these young people were typically not targeting specific groups in their attacks but 'society in general', which they see as 'oppressive or unresponsive to their needs'. Parallel with this, Europol, the EU police agency, is concerned at the rise in online 'occultist and satanic communities' — such as '764' or 'Com' networks — that are overlapping with far-right extremists. The 2025 European Union Terrorism Situation and Trend Report (EU TE-SAT) said these developments were part of a wider trend among terrorist groups to target young people, who are vulnerable or isolated, and give them a 'sense of belonging'. It said the trend of growing involvement of young people, including minors, in terrorism is also strongly seen in jihadists violence. More than a third of the 289 people arrested for jihadist attacks in the EU in 2024 were under the age of 20. Of these, 62 (21%) were minors, aged between 13 and 17. This included the 16-year-old boy in Galway who carried out a sustained knife attack on a chaplain at an army barracks in August 2024. The juvenile, sentenced this year to eight years for the attempted murder of Fr Paul Murphy, converted to Islam aged 15 and quickly self-radicalised online in Islamic State material, including graphic beheadings. The court heard the boy had struggled with the break-up of his parents' marriage and found school difficult and was "isolated". Defence counsel said the boy sought refuge online in a radical community with a "poisonous belief system". The judge noted the boy had 'significant traits' of autism spectrum disorder, which was undiagnosed at the time, and had an 'obsessive personality'. He noted the boy was also 'socially awkward and isolated'. Overall the EU TE-SAT reports: 58 terrorist attacks across 14 member states, compared to 120 in 2023 and 28 in 2022; The 58 attacks comprised 34 completed attacks, five failed and 19 foiled; 24 of the attacks were attributed to jihadist terrorism, compared to 14 in 2023 and six in 2022; One right-wing extremist attack in 2024, two in 2023 and four in 2022; 449 arrests for terrorist offences in 2024, compared to 426 in 2023 and 380 in 2022; 289 arrests were for jihadist attacks (334 in 2023 and 266 in 2022); 47 arrests were for right-wing extremist attacks (26 in 2023 and 45 in 2022). It said the most common profile of violent right-wing extremists active online was 'young males, often minors'. The report said these individuals frequently had mental health issues and many showed a high incidence of personal struggles, such as familial dysfunction, problematic interactions, social exclusion and other socio-economic challenges. It said these factors 'often served as a catalyst for their violent behaviour'. The report said: 'These individuals habitually shared a fascination for weapons and explosives, various violent ideologies and mass shooters. The sense of social isolation leads often to a 'lone-wolf' mentality, with no direct connection to organised groups but still driven by the same underlying psychological problems and grievances. Such grievances are not against specific persons, but against society in general, which they see as oppressive or unresponsive to their needs. For them, the internet becomes a virtual refuge where they can find a sense of belonging and validation. Parallel with this, the report cites a 'substantial increase' in online propaganda that combines far-right material, child sexual abuse imagery, occultism and Satanism. It said that, despite constant counter-terrorism efforts, there was an 'incessant growing number' of new online services, typically through messaging apps and encrypted communication. It said the use of generative AI to create such material, and hate speech, had reached 'unprecedented levels'. The report said the attention of young people online towards school shootings outside the EU also increased, 'especially' among minors and young adults, who were 'sharing information on perpetrators, their manifestos and even threatening to commit one themselves'. It said a 'persistent interest' of violent right-wing extremists in weapons and explosives was reflected in seizures, including of 3D printed firearms. The report said: 'Those firearms frequently appear not to be solely intended for attacks, but part of a particular lifestyle that evolves around self-defence, martial arts and survival skills.' Read More Ireland's first jihadist attack officially confirmed by gardaí in EU terror report
Irish Examiner
a day ago
- Irish Examiner
Ireland's first jihadist attack officially confirmed by gardaí in EU terror report
An Garda Síochána has officially reported Ireland's first confirmed jihadist attack to the EU, citing the attempted murder of a Defence Forces chaplain by a radicalised teenager in August 2024. The knife attack in Galway formed part of a notable rise in Islamist-inspired assaults across the EU last year. A report by Europol, the EU police agency, said five people were killed in such attacks in 2024, with 16 injured — including Fr Paul Murphy at Renmore Barracks. The Waterford chaplain narrowly escaped with his life when a 16-year-old attacker repeatedly stabbed him with an eight-inch hunting knife. The boy thrust the knife through the half-open window of a moving car driven by Fr Murphy, continuing the attack for 90 seconds — first as the chaplain stopped at the barracks' entrance, then as the car moved 25 metres into the complex. The attacker, now 17, received an eight-year sentence for attempted murder. The court previously heard the boy had converted to Islam at age 15 and was radicalised online by Islamic State–style material, including propaganda videos and footage of beheadings. Some of the content featured Mohammed Emwazi, known as 'Jihadi John,' a British national infamous for atrocities against hostages in Syria. The boy was not charged with a terrorist offence, possibly due to the Director of Public Prosecutions' reluctance to bring such a charge against a juvenile. The Irish Examiner first reported the attack as Ireland's initial confirmed jihadist incident. However, the Europol report marks the first time An Garda Síochána has officially classified it as a 'jihadist' attack. The 2025 European Union Terrorism Situation and Trend Report (EU TE-SAT) said there were 58 terrorist attacks across 14 member states in 2024. These included 34 completed attacks, five failed attempts, and 19 foiled plots. Of these, 24 attacks were attributed to jihadist terrorism — up from 14 in 2023. 'Jihadist terrorism remained the most lethal, resulting in five victims killed and 18 injured,' the report said. It also noted that 20 of the 24 jihadist attacks were carried out by 'lone actors,' including the incident in Ireland. The total number of terrorist attacks in 2024 (58) marked a sharp drop from 2023 (120) but was still higher than 2022 (28). In contrast, arrests related to terrorism have increased: 380 in 2022, 426 in 2023, and 449 in 2024. The majority were related to jihadist activity — 266 in 2022, 334 in 2023, and 289 in 2024. Despite the rise of far-right political movements across Europe, confirmed far-right terrorist attacks remained low: one in 2024, two in 2023, and four in 2022. Catherine De Bolle, Executive Director of Europol, said: 'Terrorism and violent extremism continue to pose a persistent and multifaceted threat to the security of the European Union and its citizens. Driven by geopolitical tensions, accelerated by digital interconnectivity, and fuelled by ideologically diverse movements, these threats are becoming increasingly complex.' The report also cited Israel's war in Gaza as a significant factor affecting terrorist threats across the EU. 'There were numerous attacks and calls to violence across the entire ideological spectrum,' the report said. 'Online terrorist and violent extremist propaganda instrumentalised the conflict and ignited hatred, with anti-Semitism being a common denominator in both. The Russian war of aggression against Ukraine was another driving factor for the spread of violent extremist narratives, radicalisation and mobilisation.'
