Irish police confirm the first jihadist attack on Irish soil in EU terror report

An Garda Síochána has confirmed Ireland's first jihadist attack in an EU report, involving a failed murder attempt on a Defence Forces chaplain by a radicalized teenager in August 2024. The incident, which occurred in Galway, was part of an alarming trend of Islamist-inspired violence across the EU, resulting in five deaths and 16 injuries in 2024.

The attacker, who was 16 at the time, received an eight-year sentence for stabbing Fr. Paul Murphy multiple times. He was influenced by extremist online material, including propaganda from the Islamic State.

In total, the 2025 EU Terrorism Situation and Trend Report noted 58 terrorist incidents in 2024, with 24 classified as jihadist, highlighting an increase from the previous year.