FUNDACIÓN VÍCTIMAS DEL TERRORISMO 96 - ENGLISH

EDUCATION AND COEXISTENCE 16 nological innovation and legal framewor- ks’ ability to adapt. He explained that current procedural time limits are insuffi- cient for investigations requiring complex forensic analysis of electronic devices or intensive international cooperation. Lieutenant Colonel Oliver Pérez López , of the Civil Guard’s Intelligence Headquar- ters, described the internet as contempo- rary terrorism’s true “natural habitat”. The challenge is no longer simply to neutralise individuals, but also to identify and dis- mantle the digital ecosystems that produce and distribute extremist propaganda. Pérez López outlined examples of hy- brid threats, including logistics networ- ks linked to Hezbollah and the growing importance of terrorist groups based in the Sahel. He also stressed the strategic differences between al-Qaeda and Daesh: while the former seeks a lasting foothold in society by adapting to local contexts, the latter maintains a strategy more hea- vily based on terror and destruction. YOUTH RADICALISATION AND DIGITAL COMMUNITIES Concern about the increasing involvement of minors featured in almost every session. Aitor Mújica of the Ertzaintza described a case in January 2026 in a town in Álava, where a radicalisedminor attempted to en- ter an educational centre armed. The inci- dent was detected and prevented through cooperation between the security forces and the educational community. The Basque official also recalled that approximately a quarter of those arres- ted for jihadist terrorism in the European Union are minors. Mossos d’Esquadra Superintendent Luis Paradell added a new variable to the analysis: artificial intelligence. He explained that these technologies enable mass production of propaganda, automatic translation of content and rapid distribution of material to very diverse audiences. Paradell also warned of radicalisation de- tected in children aged between 11 and 14 and the emergence of extremely hybrid ideological environments, where jihadist references mix with supremacism, nihi- listic violence and cybercrime. Rather than coherent doctrines, he explained, these are virtual communities offering identity and a sense of belonging to vul- nerable young people. INTELLIGENCE AND COORDINATION: THE KEYS TO PREVENTION The second day explored the role of inte- lligence as an essential tool for anticipa- ting threats before they materialise. Professor Manuel Torres explained how intelligence services have had to adapt to an environment far more complex than that of the Cold War. Instead of hierar- chical, predictable organisations, they now face decentralised actors, individual radicalisation processes and signals that are increasingly difficult to interpret. In his view, technology is indispensable, but remains insufficient without human intelligence. “A satellite can show a trai- ning camp; a human source can explain ` Ángel Luis Ortíz, Secretary General for Penitentiary Institutions ` Pilar López Menchero and José Manuel Sánchez Riera at the victims’ panel ` Francisco Coria, CITCO representative ARANJUEZ SUMMER COURSE