Europol, the European Union’s police agency, shows in an annual report presented on Wednesday in The Hague that the danger of terrorist attacks in Europe and disinformation campaigns is still at a high level, reports dpa.

The biggest threat comes from jihadist terrorist groups, the EU Terrorism Situation and Trends (TE-SAT) report says, adding that terrorist activities by left-wing and right-wing extremists may also increase.

Europol warns that the war in Ukraine is also affecting public safety, primarily through disinformation campaigns organized by pro-Russian groups that can polarize and fuel terrorist and extremist violence.

The police department found that the war led to an increase in acts of terrorist violence in the first months of 2022, especially in the far-right sector. Europol noticed an increase in the use of weapons made with 3D printers by right-wing extremists.

Most of the 380 terror suspects arrested last year in the EU had an Islamist background, TE-SAT also notes.

In 2022, 28 terrorist attacks took place in the EU, resulting in the death of four people. Two victims were registered after attacks by Islamists and two – after the actions of the far-right, Europol reports.

The head of the European Police Agency, Catherine De Bolle, said that “the fight against terrorism remains a priority for Europol and the EU.” She noted that now isolated attackers are still the most dangerous. These are the individuals who committed most of the attacks last year. (Source: Agerpres)