Half of terrorist attacks in Europe last year were Islamist, EU report confirms

The European Union Terrorism Situation and Trend Report (EU TE-SAT) 2026 confirmed that 45 terrorist attacks occurred across 21 EU member states last year, with 22 successful incidents resulting in six fatalities. The majority of these attacks were jihadist in nature, with Iranian actors and proxy groups linked to several incidents, fueling polarization and antisemitism within the EU. Authorities foiled 20 planned attacks, and 486 arrests were made for terror-related offenses, an increase from previous years. Lone actors or small cells, often inspired by Islamic State or al-Qaeda propaganda, were responsible for most plots, with antisemitic ideologies frequently observed among suspects. The report highlighted the significant role of the internet and social media in spreading extremist content, with algorithms amplifying its reach, and noted a shift towards harder-to-detect audio content by terrorist groups.