Terrorism and disinformation campaign threats remain high

The European Union’s police agency, Europol, said that the danger of terrorist attacks in the European Union and the threat of disinformation campaigns remain high.

Jihadist terror groups pose the greatest threat, according to the agency’s annual European Union Terrorism Situation and Trend Report (TE-SAT) presented in The Hague on Wednesday.

But right-wing and left-wing extremist terrorist activities could also increase.

Europol warned that the war in Ukraine is also having an impact on public security, primarily due to organized disinformation campaigns by pro-Russian groups that could polarize and fuel terrorist and extremist violence, it said.

The police agency said that the war in Ukraine led to more terrorist violence in the first months of 2022, especially in the far-right scene. Europol observed that right-wing extremists are increasingly using weapons made with 3D printers.

Most of the 380 terrorism suspects arrested last year had an Islamist background, according to the report.

In 2022, 28 terrorist attacks were reported in the EU, four people were killed – two in an attack by Islamists and two in far-right attacks, Europol reported.

“The fight against terrorism remains a priority for Europol and the EU,” said Europol chief Catherine De Bolle.

Lone perpetrators currently pose the greatest threat, Europol noted.

Most attacks last year were carried out by suspects acting alone, she said.

Source » msn