Radicalization via social networks is not an isolated incident, says terrorism expert Hans-Jakob Schindler of the Counter Extremism Project research organization. He demands that platform operators cooperate more closely with the authorities.

On Saturday, a Syrian suspected of terrorism was arrested in the Berlin district of Neukölln. The 22-year-old is now in custody. The charges: “Preparation of a serious act of violence endangering the state and the dissemination of propaganda material from unconstitutional and terrorist organizations.” How? Through social media. “There is hardly a terrorist attack in which social media does not play a significant role,” terrorism expert [CEP Senior Director] Dr. Hans Jakob Karl Schindler told Euronews.

CEP Senior Director Dr. Hans-Jakob Schindler interviewed regarding the arrest of an alleged ISIS terrorist in Berlin.  

British police say Jihad Al-Shamie, the 35-year-old man who attacked a synagogue in the U.K. city of Manchester, called emergency services during the attack, saying he did it for ISIS. On this week’s episode of “The Hunt with WTOP National Security Correspondent JJ Green,” Dr. Hans Jakob-Schindler, senior director at the Counter Extremism Project, discusses the growing resurgence of ISIS and other terror groups.

The UN further stated that the greatest danger comes from IS-KP, which has around 2,000 fighters and, in recent years, has carried out deadly attacks in Russia, Iran, and Pakistan, showing the group’s capability across borders. Hans-Jakob Schindler, a former coordinator of a UN committee monitoring armed groups, told AFP on Thursday, “The risk is very high that IS-KP will see these newly returned Afghan citizens as an opportunity for recruitment.” According to Schindler, “Since August 2021, the group has continued to recruit not only disgruntled Taliban members but also Afghans who feel excluded from the new government.”

CEP Senior Director Dr. Hans-Jakob Schindler interviewed on the situation in Syria and ISIS returnees in Germany. “More than 1,100 Germans joined the IS terrorist militia in Syria or Iraq. After the collapse of the caliphate, 472 returned. These returnees are under special surveillance by the security authorities; some have been convicted. The greatest threat comes from radicalized IS fighters still in Kurdish prisons. If IS succeeds in freeing prisoners, they could enter Germany. Returnees are often traumatized; some are no longer radicalized, others potentially dangerous. The police treat each case individually. So far, there have been no attacks by returnees; known IS attacks were mostly carried out by radicalized individuals in Germany.”

Hans-Jakob Schindler, former coordinator of the UN monitoring committee on militant groups, told AFP: “The risk that Islamic State Khorasan sees these newly arrived Afghans as a potential recruitment pool is high.” He noted that since 2021, IS-K has recruited both disaffected Taliban members and Afghans excluded from the new governing structures. Schindler says “Many foiled attacks in Europe between 2023 and 2025 have been linked back to the Islamic State.”