Spain recorded the highest number of arrests related to suspected Islamist terrorism in the European Union during 2025, according to Europol’s latest annual terrorism report.
The report states that Spanish authorities arrested 117 people on suspicion of Islamist-related terrorism offenses over the course of the year, the highest figure among all EU member states. Across the European Union, 486 terrorism-related arrests were made in 2025, with 347 linked to jihadist terrorism in 16 member states. That marks a return to roughly the same level seen in 2023, when 334 such arrests were recorded, following a decline to 289 in 2024.
France recorded the second highest number of jihadist terrorism-related arrests with 64. The Netherlands and Austria each registered 40 arrests, followed by Belgium with 30 and Italy with 26. These figures highlight the extremely high number of cases in Spain, being almost double the amount compared to the second place on the list.
Europol’s data also shows that the EU experienced 45 terrorist attacks in 2025. Of these, 24 were linked to Islamist extremism, making it the largest category. Another 12 attacks were attributed to left-wing and anarchist extremism, while five were linked to right-wing extremism.
According to the report, jihadist terrorist actors operating in the EU primarily acted alone or within networks of like-minded individuals, often spanning multiple countries, rather than as members of rigid hierarchical organizations. Europol noted that all completed jihadist attacks in 2025 were carried out by lone actors, all of whom were adult males. In some cases, the perpetrators were reported to have suffered from mental health issues.
The agency also highlighted the involvement of young people in terrorist activity. Some of the foiled attacks were allegedly planned by underage males, while 108 of the 347 individuals arrested for jihadist terrorism-related offenses were aged 18 or younger, something that is a cause for concern, indicating that Islamist youth are being radicalized in Western Europe.
The report provides a breakdown of the offenses for which suspects were arrested. The largest category involved terrorist propaganda, accounting for 91 arrests, followed by membership in a terrorist organization with 73 arrests, and planning of a terrorist attack with 53.
Europol also highlighted broader security concerns linked to international events. The agency warned that the conflict in the Middle East had intensified polarization across Europe, with antisemitism emerging as “a unifying theme among different terrorist and violent extremist movements.”
According to the report, radicalized individuals targeted Jewish interests, while some suspects based within the European Union intended to join Iranian proxy groups.
