Ireland reported one "jihadist terrorist attack" in 2024 to Europol

Ireland reported one jihadist attack in 2024, according to Europol's newly published 2025 edition of the European Union Terrorism Situation and Trend Report (EU TE-SAT).

In a section titled "Jihadist terrorist attacks in the EU," the report states: "On 15 August, in Galway, Ireland, a 16-year-old man approached a vehicle departing a military barracks and stabbed the (male) driver in the arms, chest, face and stomach."

The brief description in the new report refers to the attack on army chaplain Paul Murphy at Renmore Army Barracks in Co Galway on August 15, 2024.

An Garda Síochána confirmed the "serious assault" in the hours after it occurred, adding that Father Murphy, aged in his 50s, had been taken to the hospital for a number of "serious but not life-threatening" stab wounds.

A male in his teens was restrained by members of the Defence Forces and arrested by Gardaí at the scene.

Gardaí initially said they were attempting to establish if the stabbing "had a terrorism motivation," though they added that they did not believe the assault was "part of a wider conspiracy."

On August 17, the suspect - who cannot be named as he is a minor - was charged with assault causing harm to Fr Murphy. In October, however, Judge Mary Fahy struck out that charge following an application from the State, and the charges against the suspect were upgraded to attempted murder and assault of Father Murphy.

Father Paul Murphy.

The suspect, now 17 years old, pleaded guilty to the charges against him.

During a sentencing hearing, Father Murphy told his attacker: “As a man of faith, I am in the business of forgiveness, and I offer to you, the young man standing accused before me, the forgiveness that will hopefully help you to become a better person.”

In April, the teen was sentenced to ten years' detention with the final two years suspended.

During sentencing, Justice Paul McDermott acknowledged: "In the modern world, vulnerable and highly impressionable and otherwise intelligent teenagers can be the object of dangerous, manipulative, false and malicious propaganda by terrorists or other dangerous elements in society."

Jihadist terrorist attacks in the EU

The attack in Co Galway was one of 24 jihadist terrorist attacks reported in the EU in 2024, an increase from 14 in 2023.

Of the 24, six were completed and 18 were foiled.

The six completed attacks, including the one in Galway, resulted in 18 victims injured and five killed.

All six of the completed jihadist terrorist attacks in the EU last year "were perpetrated by lone attackers, neither directed nor instructed by a specific terrorist group," the Europol report states.

In Ireland, there was one arrest for jihadist terrorist offences in EU Member States in 2024, nine in 2023, and four in 2022.

Elsewhere, the report states that there were zero arrests in Ireland for right-wing terrorist offences in EU Member States in 2024. There was one in Ireland in 2023, and four in 2022.

There were also zero arrests in Ireland for ethno-nationalist and separatist terrorist offences in EU Member States in 2024. There were four in Ireland in 2023, and 11 in 2022.