A European security official said authorities across Europe are increasingly monitoring the phenomenon of nihilistic extremism, which Europol does not track through separate statistics due to differences in its definition and the possibility that some related offences may be classified as ordinary crimes.
EU Counter-Terrorism Coordinator Bartjan Wegter revealed that police forces in nine European countries identified around 4,340 online addresses linked to the “The COM” community during operations conducted in June and July. Authorities suspect the community is connected to networks that promote violence for the sake of violence itself.
Europe is facing a new security threat that is emerging largely within online communities and is driven by groups of young people and teenagers under what has become known as “nihilistic violent extremism”.
Wegter said the phenomenon is characterised by “violence for the sake of violence”, explaining that the motivation is not necessarily linked to a political ideology, but rather to the pursuit of fame and status within online communities.
According to Europol data, 10 EU countries recorded 45 terrorist attacks last year, none of which was considered a large-scale attack. Six people were killed, while 486 people were arrested on suspicion of terrorism-related offences across 21 EU member states.
In Finland, a 16-year-old boy stabbed three female classmates in 2025 before reportedly posting a “manifesto” in WhatsApp groups and filming the attack for Snapchat. In Italy, authorities said a 15-year-old boy planned a murder with the aim of gaining online notoriety.
Wegter said such incidents are not isolated, but are connected to digital networks that are “often by young people and for young people”. These networks have increasingly moved from cyberspace into real-world attacks, including stabbings and random acts of violence.
As the use of artificial intelligence continues to expand, authorities are also warning of its potential use in producing extremist propaganda, creating fake images and voices, expanding recruitment operations, deploying AI-powered bots and amplifying content that incites violence.
Wegter said around 85 per cent of security investigations are conducted in the digital environment, stressing that law enforcement agencies need tools suited to the nature of the emerging threat, amid an ongoing European debate over the balance between privacy and security.
