The estimated 72,000 Moroccan migrants who flooded into the Spanish city of Ceuta within 24 hours is shining a spotlight on Europe’s massive problem of illegal and legal migration and the threat of growing Islamic terrorism.
Mideast and European commentators who closely follow Islamic extremism across the continent say Europe’s political class needs to tackle the origins of radical Islamism to prevent terrorism.
According to a July Europol (formerly known as the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation) report, Spain recorded the highest number of arrests (117) for “jihadist terrorism-related offenses” within the European Union during 2025.
Some Spanish outlets claimed the Spanish Civil Guard and police identified “about a dozen” individuals previously deported from Spain for suspected terror-related offenses among those who entered Ceuta last week. However, Euro News reported that Spain’s interior ministry said it has not confirmed those reports.
Quoting the ministry, it reported, “The Spanish public and the people of Ceuta can be confident that the arrivals on 30 July do not pose a threat to public security.” The report also cited the interior ministry as saying that, so far this year, 82 people had been arrested for offenses related to jihadist terrorism.
Lorenzo Vidino, director of the Program on Extremism at The George Washington University and an expert on Islamism in Europe and North America, told Fox News Digital, “This is Europe. This is the way it has been for the last 15 years, with some ebbs and flows.
“It is more in line with the last 10 years. Europe has sadly learned to live with this reality,” he added of the new Europol report.
British political commentator and Mideast expert Tom Gross told Fox News Digital, “Europe’s ruling classes need to be honest. It is not racist to point out the obvious: that most terrorism in Western Europe today is being fueled by radical Islamic mosques and teachers.
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“Leaders in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Egypt acknowledge this. Why can’t Western leaders?”
Gross said, “Politicians such as new British Prime Minister Andy Burnham, London Mayor Sadiq Khan and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez need to stop fueling the propaganda of radical Muslims by implying that there has been some kind of genocide against Muslims in Gaza, when there has been nothing of the sort.
“If they really want to help push back radical Islam, European leaders should be assisting, not criticizing, those in Washington and elsewhere calling for the downfall of Iran’s Islamic dictatorship.”
In April, the U.K. raised its national terror threat level to “severe” after an antisemitic attack in London when a Somali immigrant stabbed two men. A “severe” warning, according to authorities, means another terrorist attack is considered “highly likely” in the next six months.
A spokesperson for London’s Mayor Khan told Fox News Digital. “The Mayor has invested £16 million (approxmiately $21.5 million) — more than any other mayor — to support grassroots community groups to stand up to hate and intolerance. This includes £6 million (approximately $8 million) through his Shared Endeavour Fund to give Londoners the tools and skills to tackle extremism.”
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Late last month, an alleged Islamist State terrorist, 21-year-old German-Lebanese man Abdul Ballout, allegedly drove a van into the Berlin Pride Parade event, murdering one woman and injuring nearly 30 people. The German authorities had released Ballout despite his recent conviction related to supporting the Islamic State.
German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt told public broadcaster ZDF during an interview that, in light of the 21-year-old suspect’s conviction and record of backing the Islamic State, it did not make sense that the man was roaming free.
“You can assume that it certainly would have made sense to put this person in custody,” he noted.
Khan’s spokesperson also cited an X post from the mayor after the Berlin Pride attack: “My thoughts are with everyone affected by the horrific attack in Berlin and their families. This appalling act of violence has no place in our society. London stands in solidarity with Berlin’s LGBTQ+ community. This is why Pride matters. Those who seek to spread hatred and division will never win.”
A new report by Germany’s federal intelligence that documents threats to the constitutional order estimates there are roughly 28,000 members in Germany’s Islamist scene. Approximately 9,110 are assessed to have an “orientation to violence.
“The type of violence is defined as jihadi violence,” the report states.
Germany’s federal interior ministry, which publishes the annual domestic intelligence threat report, notes that crimes attributed to “religious ideology” have climbed from 134 in 2022 to 998 last year. Radical Islamist crimes are reportedly understood to make up the main portion of the “religious ideology” category.
Germany’s neighbor, France, experienced another stabbing just days after the attack in Germany. A suspect reportedly stabbed three women in Paris and, as people captured him after the attack, declared, “It is Allah who commanded me.”
“The incident in Paris, it seems, (is) one of the cases” regarding how an attack is classified: ‘Is it terrorism? Is it a crazy guy?’” Vidino said. “Often times, Europeans play down the ideological motive and cite mental health. Some countries tend to do it more than others. Most Europeans go for downplaying of the ideological component.”
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Austria’s intelligence agency announced in May on its website that it had arrested a group of suspected Islamist terrorists, which included five males between the ages of 14 and 45 and one 16-year-old female.
“The individuals concerned are suspected of having committed offenses related to Islamist extremism and terrorism in Austria, for example through membership of a terrorist organization, incitement to terrorist offenses, dissemination of IS [Islamic State] propaganda, and approval of terrorist offenses,” the Austrian agency wrote.
In June, Swedish authorities arrested a teenage boy who pledged allegiance to the Islamist State and idolized suicide bombers, according to Swedish media. He allegedly issued death threats to students at school and showed pictures of beheaded people.
Nervana Mahmoud, a British Egyptian medical doctor who has written extensively about Islamist terrorism and indoctrination, told Fox News Digital, “The current challenge facing Europe is, in many ways, a battle over Islamist extremism and its place within Western societies. To address the threat at its source, European governments need to focus on preventing radicalization and disrupting foreign funding and ideological networks that fuel extremist movements. Without tackling these root causes, the risk of future terrorist attacks will remain.”
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“The United States should learn from Europe’s experience rather than simply criticize it,” Mahmoud said. “It has an opportunity to strengthen prevention efforts early by fostering a shared American identity within immigrant communities, disrupting foreign funding that may promote extremist influence through universities and think tanks and working with Muslim Americans who reject Islamism and uphold democratic values. Long-term success will require not only strong security measures but also sustained efforts to prevent radicalization before it takes hold.”
The United Kingdom’s judicial system recorded a series of convictions of Islamist terrorists in July. Abdullah Bin Yasir was imprisoned for 2½ years after admitting he had bomb-making guides linked to an Islamic State-aligned entity. The construction of bomb material was designed to carry out a terrorist attack.
Late last month, in Wigston, Britain, the authorities arrested a 27-year-old man for supporting the Islamic State.
According to the Crown Prosecution Service, Mohammad Bashir, 31, “pleaded guilty to preparing an act of terrorism” against a British defense target.
A spokesperson for the British Home Office told Fox News Digital, “The United Kingdom has one of the most robust counterterrorism systems in the world. We remain committed to ensuring our Police and Security Services have the tools and powers they need to prevent the spread of violent ideologies and keep the country safe.
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“This includes a wide range of terrorist offenses and specialized powers designed to risk, support prosecution and strengthen management of terrorist offenders. Islamist terrorism remains the primary domestic threat to the United Kingdom, accounting for roughly three quarters of the Security Service’s casework.”
Northern continental Europe is also facing a serious Jihadi terrorist threat. According to a late May Danish Security and Intelligence Service statement, the “CTA [Center for Terror Analysis in Denmark] assesses that the terrorist threat from militant Islamists remains at the level of significant.”
Vidino said there has been a silver lining since the outbreak of the Islamic State terrorist attacks in Europe.
“I would say I do think most European law enforcement agencies and security forces have gotten better over the years,” he said. “When the big ISIS radicalization took place, small countries were completely unprepared to deal with it.”
He cited Switzerland, Austria and the Scandinavian countries.
“They did not have legal capabilities and mindset. That has changed and it is not perfect.”
Fox News Digital sent multiple press queries to the Spanish government.
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