FUNDACIÓN VÍCTIMAS DEL TERRORISMO 96 - ENGLISH

EDUCATION AND COEXISTENCE 14 Rey Juan Carlos University summer course SPAIN FACING THE NEW JIHADISM: A MORE DISPERSED, DIGITAL AND INCREASINGLY YOUNG THREAT The Rey Juan Carlos University summer course, organised with the Memorial Centre for the Victims of Terrorism and the Victims of Terrorism Foundation, brought together judicial, police, intelligence and victim support officials and victims of terrorism in Aranjuez to examine current counter-terrorism challenges. On 29 and 30 June 2026, the Aranjuez campus of Rey Juan Carlos Universi- ty hosted the course “Spain Facing the Jihadist Threat: Current Challenges in Counter-Terrorism”, directed by Profes- sor Fernando Reinares and organised with the Memorial Centre for the Victims of Terrorism and the Victims of Terrorism Foundation. Over two days, representa- tives of the main institutions involved in counter-terrorism agreed on a shared as- sessment: the jihadist threat has changed profoundly. Today it is more fragmented, digital, hybrid and also younger. The discussions began with an idea shared by many speakers: victims must remain at the centre of the democratic response to terrorism. Fernando Reinares argued that effective counter-terrorism cannot be separated from the principles of the rule of law, recalling that legal safeguards and judicial oversight legitimise state action rather than limit it. In the same vein, the President of the Victims of Terrorism Foundation, Juan Benito , called for “moral clarity” towards those who use violence to impose their aims. He also emphasised jihadism’s con- siderable capacity to adapt, particularly in the digital environment, where extre- ` Susana Crisóstomo, Undersecretary of the Interior ` Fernando Reinares, course director. ARANJUEZ SUMMER COURSE