Young people are becoming radicalized on social networks, swearing allegiance to Daesh and planning terrorist attacks, “Gazeta Wyborcza” reports. Research shows that in 2020, 70 percent of Islamic terrorists will be men between the ages of 20 and 28, and two-thirds of attacks in Western Europe are now 13-19-year-olds. Experts warn that training is needed, especially when it comes to young people’s use of social media.
If you have emotional problems and want advice or support, here you will find a list of organizations that offer professional help. In case of immediate threat to life, call 997 or 112. In Austria, fall 2024, a 14-year-old girl sits on a bench in Graz, Austria. The court sentenced him to two years in prison for planning a terrorist attack against “infidels” in the city center. The evidence collected against the teenager was a conversation in which he planned the details of the attack with another teenager and a video recording of him pledging allegiance to ISIS in broken Arabic, “Gazeta Wyborcza” recalls.
In court, the student from Graz explained that he needed friends and “ISIS accepted him as he is.” “As the Austrian media found out, this girl was born in a Muslim family in Montenegro, and she came to Austria with her mother after finishing the first grade. She could not cope with the new environment, the students made fun of her at school because she was poor. Knowing German, he spent most of his time alone and checking social media channels on the phone,” – describes “GW”.
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It was on social networks that the girl met a teenager from Dusseldorf with Moroccan roots. “For several weeks, girls have been planning a terrorist attack using a knife in the chat room, and when this German woman was arrested, an unknown man contacted the Austrian student. He convinced her that it takes courage and strength to kill someone with a knife. physically, so it would be better to use explosive robots,” the article reads.
The 14-year-old intended to plant a bomb in a church, police station or supermarket. His plans were foiled by the police who arrested the teenager.
An alarming trend
It is not an isolated incident that such a young man decides to join a terrorist organization. Musa Al-Hassan Diaw, a researcher of Islamism and the founder of the Austrian Center for Deradicalization, said in an interview with “GW” that young people are becoming radicalized on social networks. – The scale of this phenomenon is alarming. “We recently conducted seminars in one of the schools in Vienna, and in each class there were several people affected by this ideology,” said the expert.
“Wyborcza” reminds that in July 2023 in Styria, a 15- and 16-year-old boy was convicted of planning a terrorist attack at the school where their youngest studied. They wanted to shoot all the Christians in his class. In December, a 16-year-old boy was arrested for planning to attack a synagogue in Vienna. In August 2024, two suspects were arrested for planning an attack during a Taylor Swift concert – one 17 and the other 19 years old.
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“Another attacker, the Bosnian Austrian who was shot in September in Munich, was also less than twenty years old,” the newspaper writes.
They planned an attack during Taylor Swift’s concerts. Austrian service arrested two people Angelika Maj/Fakty o Świecie TVN24 BiS
Youth and young people are becoming radicalized
Worrying reports also indicate that youth and youth are becoming radicalized. “In 2020, according to Europol, 70 percent of Islamic terrorists were men between the ages of 20 and 28.” However, recent research by Peter Neumann of King’s College London shows that two-thirds of the 27 attacks carried out or planned in Western European countries between October 7, 2023 (Hamas attacks Israel) and June 8, 2024 were caused. people from 13 to 19 years old – informs “GV”.
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Why this change? Experts point to new channels through which young people can become radicalized. “Gazeta Wyborcza” describes that “20 years ago it took place mainly in the so-called Hinterhofmoschee mosques – mosques hidden in the courtyards or private houses, now “mass media with their algorithms have allowed extremists to spread propaganda on an unprecedented scale. do.”
What attracts young people to jihadism?
Moussa Al-Hasan Diaw, interviewed by “Gazeta Wyborcza”, admitted that there are different ways to radicalization, but the starting point is often loneliness, rejection and discrimination. – Now I am working with a 14-year-old girl who was radicalized at the age of 11. Children at school teased him because he came from the countryside. (…) Finally, he moved to a school in Vienna, where he accepted Islam. He told me that he is no longer afraid here – everyone is afraid of him. According to the expert, she sent photos of people with their throats cut to those who abused her.
Their attitude towards Islam is different from the older generation of extremists. – They know less about religion than 20 years ago, but they are very aware of the ideology of political Islamism, says Diav.
How radical Islam attracts
How to deal with the radicalization of teenagers? The article states that “in addition to education, regulation of social networks is necessary.” In February 2024, the European Commission launched a case to determine whether TikTok’s actions violated the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA). The Chinese giant, in particular, is accused of the fact that its algorithms can cause the so-called rabbit hole effect, which means that the user is presented with more and more radical material on the same topic. Similar actions were announced against platforms owned by American Meta – Facebook and Instagram.
The expert interviewed by “GW” emphasizes that social networks are part of the problem. According to him, Austria has ignored the threats related to political Islamism for many years. – Sometimes it happens that the school informs about the suspected radicalization of the student. The school board sends a social worker who has experience working with alcoholics and drug addicts but knows nothing about Islamism, Diaw says.
Main photo source: MAX SLOVENCIK/PAP/EPA
