Iranian actors, Iranian proxy groups, and criminal networks linked to the Islamic Republic were connected to multiple of the 45 terrorist attacks recorded across 21 EU member states last year, according to the European Union Terrorism Situation and Trend Report (EU TE-SAT) 2026, published earlier this week.
The conflict between Israel and Iran, including Iran’s terror proxies, has fueled a steady flow of images and reports that have contributed to growing polarization within the European Union.
Antisemitism has become a common narrative among extremist actors, resulting in the targeting of Jewish individuals and interests, as well as the arrests of multiple Europe-based individuals attempting to join Iran’s proxy networks.
In particular, al-Qaeda featured the conflict in Gaza in much of its propaganda, publicizing the core views of its founder, Osama bin Laden. Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula in Yemen is considered especially eager to exploit the conflict in Gaza to incite terrorist attacks against the West.
Less than half of planned terrorist attacks foiled by law enforcement
Of the 45 terrorist attacks planned last year, across 10 member states, 22 were successful, leading to six fatalities. Authorities successfully foiled 20 attacks and three failed.
The numbers constitute a slight decline from 2024, when 58 attacks were recorded in 14 member states, 34 of which were completed.
Stabbings were the most common form of terrorism, accounting for 15 attacks, followed by bombings, which were used in 11 incidents. Seven attacks involved arson, five involved shootings, two involved property damage, and one involved a terrorist ramming attack.
The majority of the attacks last year were jihadist in nature, while five were labeled right-wing terrorism, and 12 were connected to left-wing or anarchist terrorism.
However, the EU report noted that boundaries between previously distinct terrorist ideologies and other forms of violence became more difficult to discern.
The report also noted that the presence of nihilistic violent extremism was another increasingly visible development, which largely emerged from decentralized online communities where violence is glorified but there is a lack of coherent ideological objectives.
Additionally, authorities made more arrests for terror-related offenses in 2025 (486) than in 2024 (449) and 2023 (426). Last year’s figure doesn’t account for a number of ongoing cases, the report acknowledged.
Most individuals arrested for terrorism offenses, 259 of the 398, were EU citizens, while an additional 139 were not. It is unclear how many of the EU citizens were dual nationals.
The lion’s share of terrorist plots involved lone actors or small cells, with the majority of suspects inspired by Islamic State or al-Qaeda propaganda. Antisemitic ideologies were a common theme among those arrested.
The internet and social media networks were often used to spread propaganda and connect individuals to extremist ideologies. Terrorist and violent content was found across social media and online platforms of all sizes, the report noted.
Online algorithms contributed to exposure to extremist content
Algorithms helped amplify the reach and visibility of the content, allowing it to reach a broader range of individuals, including young people who are more susceptible to its messaging.
The algorithm ensured that individuals interested in disinformation and hate speech were eventually exposed to more violent and extremist content, the report noted.
Part of the difficulty in addressing the online activities is that terrorist groups have largely shifted to audio content to spread extremist content, which is harder to detect and moderate.
The internet has also allowed radicalized individuals to access information needed to carry out their attacks, as was the case in Belgium in September.
Two young men linked to the Islamic State’s ideology attempted to manufacture explosives in order to attack a prominent public figure after researching online how to build the weapon.