Two-thirds of terror suspects in Western Europe are teenagers
Two-thirds of terror suspects in Western Europe are teenagers.
Keystone-SDA
Select your language
Generated with artificial intelligence.
Listening: Two-thirds of terror suspects in Western Europe are teenagers
Terrorists are becoming younger. This trend can also be seen in Switzerland, says expert Peter Neumann. He describes a new type of self-radicalised young attacker, which he calls Tiktok terrorists.
This content was published on
2 minutes
Keystone-SDA
Deutsch
de
Zwei Drittel der Terror-Verdächtigen in Westeuropa sind Teenager
Original
For a book that will be published in September, the professor of security studies at King’s College in London recorded all those arrested on suspicion of terrorism in Western Europe since October 2023. Two-thirds of the almost 60 people are teenagers aged between 13 and 19.
“This is new. Ten years ago, this age group was an exception, now it’s the rule,” Neumann told the Neue Zürcher Zeitung on Friday. In addition, these suspects are becoming radicalised online, without even a person such as a preacher to provide the final impetus for the act.
The radicalisation begins on large platforms such as Tiktok and Instagram and later shifts to closed groups on platforms such as Telegram.
“The new pattern can also be seen in Switzerland,” he said. As examples, he cited the perpetrator who stabbed an orthodox Jew in Zurich in March and the arrests in Schaffhausen and Thurgau at Easter.
Translated from German by DeepL/ts
This news story has been written and carefully fact-checked by an external editorial team. At SWI swissinfo.ch we select the most relevant news for an international audience and use automatic translation tools such as DeepL to translate it into English. Providing you with automatically translated news gives us the time to write more in-depth articles.
If you want to know more about how we work, have a look here, if you want to learn more about how we use technology, click here, and if you have feedback on this news story please write to english@swissinfo.ch.
Popular Stories
More
Multinational companies
Azeri fossil-fuel cash cow brings controversy to Switzerland
Is artificial intelligence an advantage or a disadvantage for workers?
What is your experience with AI at work? Have you already used it? Has it helped you work better? Or has it caused you more stress, more work or caused you to lose your job? Tell us about your experiences!
Swiss price watchdog slams excessive prices for generic medicines
This content was published on
The cheapest generic medicines available in Switzerland are more than twice as expensive as in other countries, according to a study by the Swiss price watchdog.
Nature should not figure in net zero calculations: academic study
This content was published on
The natural removal of CO2 from the atmosphere by forests or oceans should not be included in the net-zero balance of climate protection measures, argue researchers.
This content was published on
None of the 15 major Swiss retail banks is meeting international climate and biodiversity targets, according to a ranking by WWF Switzerland.
This content was published on
Nestlé's new CEO Laurent Freixe, has presented plans for the future of the world's largest food company, after his first few weeks in office.
Swiss foreign minister calls on Moscow to end Ukraine war
This content was published on
It's high time Moscow ended its war against Ukraine, Swiss foreign minister Ignazio Cassis tells the UN Security Council.
This content was published on
The only alternative to the UN Palestinian agency’s work in Gaza is to allow Israel to run services there, Philippe Lazzarini, UNRWA Commissioner-General, told reporters in Geneva on Monday.
Study reveals food culture differences between Switzerland and neighbours
This content was published on
Three-quarters of Swiss people consider eating to be a pleasurable, social activity, a new survey reveals. Healthy eating, however, plays a much less important role, it found.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.