FUNDACIÓN VÍCTIMAS DEL TERRORISMO 96 - ENGLISH

10 NEWS The involvement of minors in activities linked to jihadist terrorism continues to concern European authorities, who note that the phenomenon retains a strong capa- city to recruit the very young. This is docu- mented in issue 16 of the Memorial Centre for the Victims of Terrorism Foundation’s Cuadernos series, Balance del terrorismo en España en 2025 , published in July. Several countries across the continent have conducted operations against teenagers involved in these activities, and Spain has been no exception. In 2025, 14 people un- der 18 were arrested, one fewer than the previous year, although the figure remains well above the numbers recorded in the seven preceding years. France, meanwhi- le, has recorded higher figures than Spain since 2023. Alongside these 14 minors, a further 37 young people aged between 18 and 25 were arrested. More than half of those arrested for activities related to jihadist terrorism were therefore no older than 25. In line with findings in other Eu- ropean countries, these figures reflect growing concern about violent radicali- sation among young people. In Spain, 15 minors were arrested for offences linked to jihadist terrorism be- tween 2014 and 2022. In the past three years alone, however, the number has risen to 35. The changing figures reveal how far youth radicalisation has spread in recent years. “These are digital generations who de- velop mainly on the internet,” says a specialist at the Intelligence Centre for Counter-Terrorism and Organised Crime (CITCO). One of the centre’s priorities is therefore to encourage the removal of illegal content shared through social media and digital platforms that pro- motes radicalisation. The figures show an upward trend in this work. In 2023, 2,862 notifications were sent to techno- logy companies alerting them to illegal content; in 2024, the number rose to 3,208, and in 2025 it reached 13,411. In three out of four cases, the platforms voluntarily removed the content after being notified by the authorities. Spain’s activity in this area is particularly signi- ficant. Indeed, 45% of all illegal content removed across Europe in the past year was taken down at the initiative of the Spanish authorities. Of the 14 minors arrested in Spain, six were Spanish nationals, four were Moroc- can and one was Syrian, while nationality was not disclosed in three cases. Thirteen were male and only one was female. At least four were aged 15, two were 16 and another four were 17. The exact ages of the remaining four are unknown. These cases were supplemented by the arrest of ano- ther minor in Mexico in an investigation involving the Civil Guard. The authorities generally exercise par- ticular caution when releasing informa- tion about proceedings involving minors. Nevertheless, the available information suggests that a significant proportion of those arrested showed sympathy for the self-proclaimed Islamic State and shared its propaganda through the internet and social media. One identified case revealed a high degree of radicalisation. The minor, a Spanish na- tional of Moroccan descent, had expressed an intention to travel to areas controlled by Daesh to join the terrorist organisation. According to the available information, he also had behavioural problems and had stopped attending school. YOUTH RADICALISATION KEEPS EUROPEAN AUTHORITIES ON ALERT MEMORIAL CENTRE CUADERNO 16