On 27 May, Europol coordinated a Referral Action Day (RAD) on minors’ exploitation and radicalisation online.
More than 2 000 links pointing to jihadist and right-wing violent extremist and terrorist propaganda targeting minors were referred during the action day. The referral day took place only a few weeks after Europol launched a new Operational Taskforce to tackle the rising trend of recruiting young perpetrators into serious and organised crime. Recent data provided to Europol reveals that minors are now involved in over 70% of criminal markets. Protecting children from being recruited and exploited by criminal networks is one of Europol’s key priorities.
Read more…
Source: Europol
Sign up for the Counter-IED Report Newsletter
The latest news and insights delivered right to your inbox
Related:
- Northern Ireland: Two arrested in Tyrone and Fermanagh over discovery of device in Irish Republic
October 15, 2025
Two men have been charged in connection with the discovery of a suspected explosive device in the Irish Republic last year. Police arrested the pair, aged 44 and 49, in Fermanagh and Tyrone on Tuesday night. They were charged with the preparation of a terrorist act and are due to appear via video link at Strabane ...
- UK: ‘Nerdy’ man made explosive devices in shed
October 14, 2025
A “nerdy” autistic heroin user who liked “doing science” has gone on trial charged with making explosive substances in his garden shed. Harry Whittaker, 33, has denied two allegations of making explosive substances, and four of possessing explosive substances, at the Old Bailey in London. The court heard in April 2024 paramedics were called to his ...
- Italy: Three police officers killed in apparently deliberate farmhouse explosion during eviction attempt
October 14, 2025
Three members of Italy’s military police, the carabinieri, were killed and another 13 officers injured in an explosion as law enforcement attempted to carry out an eviction near the northeastern city of Verona, authorities said on Tuesday. Two middle-aged brothers and their sister were detained in connection to the blast in the town of Castel d’Azzano, ...
- Tennessee: Sevier County explosion leads to arrest
October 13, 2025
A Sevier County Sheriff’s Office investigation into an explosion at a home in the Ellis Woods Loop area has led to an arrest, Sheriff Michael Hodges announced Monday. The explosion happened Sunday. Hodges said an Explosive Ordinance Disposal (EOD) technician from the Pigeon Forge Police Department responded to make sure the scene was safe. Further investigation, Hodges ...
- UK: Secondary school-aged boy charged after bomb squad called to North Tyneside incident
October 12, 2025
A secondary school-aged boy has been charged after an incident that led to the deployment of an army bomb disposal team in North Tyneside. Police received a report of “suspicious activity” in the area on Friday (10 October) at around 1:15pm. Officers attended an address on Meadow road, in the Monkseaton area, and found a number ...
- FBI: Public’s Help Sought Upon 40th Anniversary of the Santa Ana Bombing Murder of Arab American Activist Alexander Michel Odeh
October 10, 2025
Upon this weekend’s 40th anniversary of the murder of Alexander Michel Odeh, the victim of a targeted bombing in Orange County, California, the FBI reminds the public that the case remains open and that the United States Department of Justice is offering a reward of up to $1 million for information leading to the arrest ...
- New Joint Task Force Established to Lead SOUTHCOM Counter-Narcotics Operations
October 10, 2025
MIAMI, Fla. – U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) announced the establishment of a new Joint Task Force (JTF) under II Marine Expeditionary Force (II MEF) today to synchronize and augment counter-narcotics efforts across the Western Hemisphere. The JTF will integrate the expeditionary capabilities of II MEF with Joint Force and U.S. interagency partners, represented by the Homeland ...
- Belgium: 3 arrested in suspected terror plot to deploy explosive device using drone
October 9, 2025
Belgian federal authorities have arrested three young suspects in connection with what prosecutors said was an attempted terrorist attack on the country’s politicians, including Prime Minister Bart De Wever. Federal prosecutor Ann Fransen said the suspects — born in 2001, 2002 and 2007 — were detained in Antwerp Thursday morning on suspicion of attempted terrorist murder ...
- Greece: Explosion Rocks Nightclub on Michalakopoulou Street in Ilisia
October 8, 2025
An explosion occurred around 10 p.m. on Tuesday night at a nightclub located on Michalakopoulou Street in the Ilisia district of Athens. The venue was closed at the time of the blast, and there have been no reports of injuries, according to initial information. The explosion caused material damage to the establishment as well as to ...
- Pakistan sees surge in militant-linked violence in third quarter
October 7, 2025
Violence in Pakistan has surged over the past three months due to a spike in militant attacks and intensified counter-terrorism operations, an Islamabad-based think tank said Monday. The Center for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) reported a 46 percent rise in fatalities, including civilians, security personnel and militants, compared to the previous quarter. This year is ...
- Kenya: Vice Chief of Defence Forces John Omenda calls for continental unity to tackle rising IED threat
October 7, 2025
The Vice Chief of Defence Forces (VCDF), Lt Gen John Omenda, has called for continental solidarity to combat the growing threat of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) in Africa. Speaking at the opening of the 7th Africa Annual Counter-Improvised Explosive Device (C-IED) conference, themed ‘A Continental Approach: Creating Situational Awareness of IED Threats Across Africa and Sharing ...
- Washington D.C.: Man arrested at D.C. Catholic church had 200 homemade explosives
October 7, 2025
A man had more than 200 handmade destructive devices — including bottle rockets and molotov cocktails — in a tent on the steps of a D.C. cathedral where Supreme Court justices were expected to attend Mass on Sunday, court records show. During his arrest, Louis Geri threatened to ignite explosives and handed authorities pages of his ...
- Pakistan: 7 injured after blast derails 4 Jaffar Express carriages in Sindh’s Shikarpur
October 7, 2025
At least seven people were injured on Tuesday after a blast on a railway track derailed four bogies of the Jaffar Express in Sindh’s Shikarpur district, according to officials. Shikarpur Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Shahzeb Chachar said that the remaining bogies had proceeded toward Jacobabad. He said that the blast had targeted a single track ...
- Germany: Oktoberfest 2025 ends with financial loss due to bomb scare in Munich
October 6, 2025
The closure, followed by searches by emergency services for booby traps and an increased security presence, had a knock on effect on the festival’s financial impact. The 2025 Oktoberfest, the world’s largest folk festival, closed in the southern German city of Munich on Sunday but in addition to the music, funfair and the ubiquitous beer, this ...
- Republic of Georgia: Large cache of weapons and explosives discovered, planned sabotage for October 4 prevented
October 5, 2025
The State Security Service of Georgia (SSG) announced the discovery of a large cache of firearms, ammunition, and explosives with a detonator, allegedly purchased under the instruction of a Georgian representative of a Ukrainian military unit. SSG says the weapons were intended to be used for sabotage in Tbilisi on October 4, in parallel with an ...
- Ohio: Columbus man found with explosives in vehicle during traffic stop
October 3, 2025
A Columbus man is accused of manufacturing explosives after police say they found improvised explosive devices in his vehicle during a traffic stop on the city’s South Side, according to a criminal complaint. The suspect, a 29-year-old from the Southeast Side whom The Dispatch is not naming, is charged with unlawful possession of a dangerous ordnance, ...
- Pakistan: Peshawar IED blast injures four policemen: official
October 2, 2025
At least four policemen were injured on Thursday when their vehicle was hit by the improvised explosive device (IED) blast in Peshawar’s Garhi Qamar Din area, said police. Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Operations Masood Bangash said that a police van was on patrol when it was targeted on Kohat Road near the Garhi Qamar Din ...
- UK: Two killed and suspect shot dead in Manchester synagogue car ramming and stabbing attack
October 2, 2025
Three people have died, including the suspected attacker, in a car ramming and stabbing attack at a synagogue in Manchester, with the suspect shot by police. The incident came on Yom Kippur – the holiest day in the Jewish religious calendar. Police responded to reports of a car driving towards members of the public and a ...
- Ireland: Explosive device, cocaine and thousands of euro seized from Limerick halting site
October 1, 2025
An explosive device, cocaine, crack cocaine and €5,500 in cash was recovered as gardai swooped on a Traveller site in Limerick. As part of ongoing investigations into the activities of an organised criminal group, Gardaí from the Limerick Crime Unit, supported by multiple agencies and specialist units, conducted a planned operation at the Childers Road halting ...
- UK: Man in court over cash machine explosion plot
September 26, 2025
A man has been charged over an alleged plot to blow up a cash machine. The ATM, at Hedgeley Services in Powburn, Northumberland, was on fire when police arrived on 12 May. Kristopher Follos, 45, of Olivers Mill, Morpeth, appeared at North Tyneside Magistrates’ Court charged with conspiracy to steal, conspiracy to cause explosions, and ...
- Ohio: Mason man pleads guilty to transporting explosive materials to local park
September 24, 2025
CINCINNATI – James River Phillips, 21, of Mason, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court today to illegally transporting explosive materials. Phillips was arrested in April 2025 by the FBI Cincinnati Field Office’s Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF) after agents executed search warrants in Mason, Oxford and Liberty Township. According to court documents, on Sept. 22, 2024, ...
- Pakistan: Digital battlefield – Militants vs the State in the war of narratives
September 23, 2025
There was a time when militants published newspapers, periodicals, posters, magazines, and distributed CDs to fuel their propaganda machinery. In recent years, however, they have become as equipped in the use of digital media as state actors, if not more. Moreover, militants’ transnational outreach with like-minded jihadists has helped them formulate advanced propaganda techniques to ...