FUNDACIÓN VÍCTIMAS DEL TERRORISMO 96 - ENGLISH

11 NEWS Finally, the most concerning case in- volved a 17-year-old Spaniard. He was initially arrested in Santa Coloma de Gramenet on suspicion of preparing an attack. Days later, he was arrested again in Madrid after investigators established that he remained determined to carry out a terrorist act and had not abandoned his plans despite the first arrest. Cases involving minors were also fre- quent in other European countries throughout 2025, although security for- ces prevented the planned attacks from being carried out in most instances. In January, for example, the British authori- ties arrested a 15-year-old who possessed materials allegedly intended for use in an attack. Months later, another teenager, aged 17, was arrested in the United King- dom after an al-Qaeda manual was found in his possession and it emerged that he planned to act during an Oasis concert. Austria also recorded a significant case with the arrest of a 14-year-old of Tur- kish origin who was allegedly preparing an attack at a railway station in Vienna. In France, a 17-year-old was arrested in March for planning an attack on a syna- gogue during Ramadan. In Italy, another minor was arrested while planning a ve- hicle-ramming or knife attack, while a se- cond teenager, arrested in Milan in July, had sworn allegiance to Daesh. Finally, in Poland, a young supporter of the organi- sation was apprehended while preparing a bombing at a school. JIHADISM REMAINS THE MAIN TERRORIST THREAT Among other key findings, Balance del terrorismo en España en 2025 confirms that jihadism continues to pose the main threat to national security. Last year saw the highest number of arrests for this ac- tivity since the attacks of 11 March 2004: one hundred in total. One factor behind this trend is the im- pact of the war in Gaza, to which thir- teen of those arrested were directly or indirectly linked, some through activities supporting Hamas or Hezbollah. Spanish and Moroccan nationals accoun- ted for most of those arrested for jiha- dist activities, while the authorities also warned of the growing role of individuals linked to Islamic State Khorasan Provin- ce (ISKP), an organisation of particular concern to European security services. The institutional response also included the expulsion of 25 people suspected of promoting radicalisation, including nine Islamic preachers, several of them serving imams. Meanwhile, the Natio- nal Court handed down 19 judgments for offences related to jihadist terrorism, with a conviction rate of close to 70% of defendants tried. The document also highlights the increa- se in extremist organisations’ propagan- da in Spanish. During 2025, distribu- tion channels linked to Daesh grew and new platforms emerged to translate and share content and messages aimed spe- cifically at Spanish-speaking audiences. This strategy demonstrates how these organisations continually adapt to digi- tal environments and new methods of recruitment. Year 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 Spain 4 0 2 0 0 2 6 15 14 France - - - - - 2 15 19 20 MINORS ARRESTED FOR ACTIVITIES RELATED TO JIHADIST TERRORISM