The new batch of jihadists is younger, more radical and more ignorant of Islam.
In 2024 there was a record 81 arrests for jihadist terrorism in Spain. Thirty-two were under the age of 25 (40.1 per cent).
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According to research published by The Spaniard As of March 2025, based on official data from the Ministry of the Interior and on the interventions of experts during the 7th ‘Population, Security and Territory’ Day, Spain is experiencing a new wave of jihadism with unprecedented characteristics: The detainees are increasingly young, more radical and more ignorant of the principles of Islam..
2024 was a record-breaking year: 81 people were arrested for jihadist terrorism., of which 32 were under 25 years old i Fifteen were minors.. Experts warn that the trend is not only holding but consolidating. The number of minors has triple compared with the previous year, an alarming increase that shows that The jihadist focus has found in adolescence fertile ground for sowing hatred..
Explosives and plans to kill
Among the most shocking cases of 2024, the case of Two minors arrested in Elx, which they intended to blow up a basilica on New Year's Eve. Also that of a young man from 16-year-old arrested in Montellano (Seville), which had been homemade from the explosive known as “The Mother of Satan” with the intention of to commit a suicide attack in a police station. In Sitges, another teenager with the same profile was intercepted before he could attack his secondary school.
The police forces and the judges agree: It is no longer just about ideological radicalisation, but about concrete plans for violent action.. And these plans do not come from structured groups, but from young people indoctrinated in the solitude of their bedroom.
Radicalisation without religion: just hate
One of the most disturbing facts is that The vast majority of these young people have no significant religious knowledge.. According to the juvenile judge of the National Court, José Luis Castro, Only 11% of the underage detainees actually knew what Sharia is or had read the Qur'an..
Specialist prosecutor Ángela Gómez-Rodulfo sums it up emphatically: “What drives them is hatred. If they had been born in a different context, they would be neo-Nazis.” This isn't about faith, but about frustration, resentment and the need to feel part of something big, even if it's destructive.
Video games are the Salafist mosque.
The new recruitment scenario is digital. It's no longer fanatical preachers or secret cells: Now it's video games, chats and TikTok videos.. Some minors even go as far as create their own jihadist video games, inspired by platforms such as Roblox or Call of Duty.
The young jihadists are true digital natives. Judge Castro and Lieutenant Luis Barragán of the Civil Guard warn that these video games and virtual content They act as mental and emotional training grounds.. In addition, 70.1% of the young detainees had no parental supervision., a key factor in its vulnerability.
Young people with difficulties
Not all young people can be recruited. According to the Guardia Civil, the profile most common among jihadist minors is that of a vulnerable adolescent, with socioeconomic, family, school or emotional difficulties. Some come from Muslim families, but many are converts, drawn by the fascination of a discourse that promises them meaning, strength and recognition.
They are young people who They don't feel part of any community., neither of the majority society nor of their original cultural environment. Jihadism offers them an identity and a clear enemy: the West. In this scenario, The search for belonging becomes a dangerous weapon. when it comes up against fanaticism.
There is hope, they don't reoffend.
Despite this bleak outlook, experts agree that reintegration is possible. Judge Castro points out that The reoffending rate among minors convicted of jihadism is zero. so far. This shows that, with the right treatment and real support, The cycle of violence can be broken..
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