Spain's migrant surge reignites debate over Europe’s Islamist terror threat
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The estimated 72,000 Moroccan migrants who flooded into the Spanish city of Ceuta within 24 hours is shining the 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.
Moroccan security forces clash with migrants attempting to cross into Spain's North African enclave of Ceuta near the town of Fnideq, on the Morocco-Spain border, on July 31, 2026. (Abdel Majid Bziouat / AFP via Getty Images)
Some Spanish outlets claimed that 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 stated that "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 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." He said about the new Europol report that "It is more in line with the last 10 years. Europe has sadly learned to live with this reality."
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."
Police officers stand near a vehicle crashed into a tree after driving into a crowd near Berlin's annual Pride event, in Berlin, Germany, Sunday, July 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
He added, "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 PM Pedro Sanchez, 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."
He continued, "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" following 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 that "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."
GERMAN OFFICIALS WARN ISLAMIST, FAR-LEFT RHETORIC DRIVING SPIKE IN ANTISEMITIC ATTACKS
Law enforcement patrol immediately following a stabbing attack in Paris on July 27, 2026. (Kenzo Tribouillard/Getty Images)
Late last month, the alleged Islamist State terrorist , the 21-year-old German-Lebanese man, Abdul Ballout, 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 following 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."
Firefighters are seen tackling a blaze at Highfield Road in the Golders Green neighborhood of London, following an arson attack on four charity ambulances belonging to the Jewish Community volunteer Ambulance Service. (PA/PA Images via Getty Images)
A new report by Germany ’s federal intelligence that documents threats to the constitutional order estimates that there are roughly about 28,000 members of Germany’s Islamist scene. Approximately 9,110 are currently assessed to have an "orientation to violence. "The type of violence is defined as jihadi violence."
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…
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