Growing concern over those arrested for jihadism: they are increasingly younger

BarcelonaThe number of people arrested for jihadism in Spain is getting younger. Last year, police made around 100 arrests for this radical ideology, and almost half were under 25. Furthermore, 13 were minors. This trend is even more evident when looking back: the predominant age range for those arrested for jihadism in 2020 was between 32 and 38 years old. Now it's between 18 and 24, and they currently represent 35% of all arrests. This is one of the main conclusions of the latest Yearbook from the International Observatory for Terrorism Studies (OIET), which warns that this is a worrying and growing trend. The report highlights the "active role of minors," going so far as to state that one of the main current challenges, "both socially and in terms of security, is the growing radicalization among young people." It is common for the indoctrination of these young people to take place on social media or in video games, often by other teenagers.

All of this occurs within a police context that is increasingly focusing its efforts on combating jihadism, as evidenced by the 58 counterterrorism operations carried out in 2025, the highest number ever recorded in Spain. The one hundred people arrested for this reason represent the second highest figure on record after 2004, when the 11-M attacks took place in Madrid. And, within the national context, Catalonia plays a very important role: a third of all jihadist interventions have occurred in Catalonia. as happened last yearThe area with the most activity in Spain is Barcelona, ​​with 14 operations and 17 arrests, which is why the OIET report considers it an "operational epicenter." Next comes Madrid and the entire Mediterranean coast.

As with criminal groups, increasingly heterogeneous profiles are being identified within jihadism. For example, eight of those arrested are women—a rare profile—and all those arrested represent a dozen different nationalities. The dogmas are also becoming increasingly intertwined, and a fusion of narratives from the Islamic State and Al-Qaeda, the two main terrorist organizations, with elements of other ideologies such as Hezbollah is being detected. The yearbook also points out that radicalization processes in prisons—one of the hotspots and where the police are focusing their efforts—continue, and their eradication is one of the most critical security challenges.

Worldwide

The yearbook records only one attack in Spain in 2025, committed by a suspected jihadist, a Spanish national of Moroccan origin, arrested in the Vallecas neighborhood of Madrid after attempting to stab three pedestrians and one of the police officers who arrested him. However, the report also provides a snapshot of the state of terrorism on a global scale. In 2025, 2,018 attacks were committed worldwide, resulting in the deaths of 9,901 people. This represents a 1.9% increase in these attacks, although the number of fatalities decreased by 5.2% compared to 2024. Africa remains the major focus of jihadism globally, while Europe continues to experience the same pattern of low-impact terrorism perpetrated by "individuals acting as lone actors." This is the main trend that intelligence services are observing: the era of organized cells is over, and now the main risk is that of a lone wolf who becomes radicalized at home and acts alone.