EUROPEAN POLICE IDENTIFY NEW ONLINE EXTREMIST NETWORK AMONG YOUNG PEOPLE

Police investigators from nine European countries have identified approximately 4,340 web addresses linked to an online community dubbed "The COM" during an operation in June and July, according to the European Union Counter-Terrorism Coordinator. The network is characterised by what authorities describe as violence motivated by status-seeking within online communities rather than political ideology. Bartjan Wegter told the Associated Press that the phenomenon represents "violence for the sake of violence" and reflects a fascination with violence as a means of asserting oneself and gaining status among peers.

The emergence of this network comes as jihadist groups remain the dominant terrorist threat in Europe. Last year, 45 terrorist attacks were reported across ten of the 27 EU countries, with jihadist groups behind 24 of those attacks and accounting for more than 70 per cent of terror-related arrests. About half of the reported attacks were foiled or failed, resulting in six deaths. Europol recorded 486 arrests of people suspected of terror links across 21 member countries, with approximately one third of those detained aged under 18, mostly boys. Europol does not maintain statistics on nihilistic violent extremism because definitions vary and acts may fall into categories of ordinary criminality as well as terrorism.

A 2025 incident in Finland illustrated the pattern authorities are tracking. A 16-year-old boy stabbed three female student colleagues, shared what was described as a "manifesto" via WhatsApp groups, and recorded the attack on Snapchat. He stated in the manifesto that he wanted to do something "significant" and "exciting," with no political motive given for the attack. Wegter emphasised that authorities remain concerned about the scale and nature of this emerging threat as definitions continue to evolve.