In 2021, there were 15 executed, failed or stopped attacks, according to Europol’s annual report. This can be compared with 57 events that were categorized in the same way the year before.
The reduction is largely due to the fact that there have been many fewer left-wing extremist acts, according to the organization. However, it estimates that the pandemic and the Ukraine war will result in new security threats in the coming years.
– When there are geopolitical upheavals, the EU must more than ever maintain its counter-terrorist work, says Europol’s CEO Catherine De Bolle.
The pandemic has led to many young people sitting at home becoming easier victims of radicalization, according to De Bolle. She also believes that EU countries need to learn from previous wars where radicalized people who have fought have returned home.
In 2021, 388 people in the EU were arrested on suspicion of terrorism-related crime. More than two thirds of these cases were linked to jihadism and took place in Austria, France or Spain.