Children as young as 12 are getting radicalised in Europe, Wegter says
Fact-Check Results
“European teens are in danger of radicalisation and recruitment online, the EU counter-terrorism coordinator warns, saying children as young as 12 are being targeted.”
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INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
— No evidence found in archive to verify or contradict claims about EU counter-terrorism coordinator's warnings regarding online radicalization of teens.
“Radicalisation in Europe has been on the rise, especially among young people, EU Counter-Terrorism Coordinator Bartjan Wegter told Euronews, with Europe's security services now dealing with cases involving children as young as 12.”
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INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
— No evidence found in archive to verify or contradict claims about rising radicalization rates and specific age groups targeted.
“We're talking about minors (and youth) aged between 12 and 20 years old”
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INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
— No evidence found in archive to verify or contradict statements about minors aged 12-20 being targeted for radicalization.
“According to recent studies, young people spend between five and eight hours per day on social media, with radicalisation and recruitment taking place online in these spaces and without any in-person meetings.”
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INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
— No evidence found in archive to verify or contradict claims about social media usage duration and online radicalization occurrence.
“According to the 2025 European Union Terrorism Situation and Trend Report, 449 people were arrested for terrorism-related offences in the EU in 2024.”
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INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
— No evidence found in archive to verify or contradict specific arrest numbers from the 2025 EU Terrorism Situation and Trend Report.
“Almost a third of them — 133 people — were aged between 12 and 20 years. The youngest offender was 12 and arrested for planning to commit an attack.”
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INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
— No evidence found in archive to verify or contradict age distribution statistics of terrorism-related arrests in 2024.
“According to Europol, the vast majority of these young suspects were linked to jihadist terrorism, followed by right-wing terrorism and violent extremism.”
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INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
— No evidence found in archive to verify or contradict claims about ideological links of young suspects to jihadist terrorism.
“Wegter insisted that 'jihadism remains the number one threat in Europe'.”
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INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
— No evidence found in archive to verify or contradict statements about jihadism being the number one threat in Europe.
“The Islamic State (IS) or Daesh has shifted tactics to recruit young adolescents within the EU rather than organizing large-scale attacks from outside.”
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INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
— No evidence found in archive to verify or contradict claims about IS/Daesh recruitment tactics targeting EU adolescents.
“Violent extremist ideologies in Europe combine elements of different ideologies, forming 'salad bar ideology' that leads to nihilistic extremist violence.”
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INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
— No evidence found in archive to verify or contradict assertions about 'salad bar ideology' in European extremist groups.
“Violent right-wing and left-wing ideologies are surging online, creating 'salad bar extremism' that lures young people into extremist communities.”
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