Europe on alert over growing threat of Iranian-led terrorist attacks

European countries are facing a growing threat of potential Iranian-backed terrorist attacks across the continent amid the ongoing war with the Islamic Republic of Iran.

According to The Times of Israel, European security authorities are stepping up their readiness following recent Iran-linked terrorist attacks in the U.S., Canada, Norway, and Belgium. Norwegian authorities recently arrested three brothers of Iraqi origin on terrorism charges after an explosion outside the U.S. embassy in Oslo caused minor damage.

Authorities are investigating whether the three arrested brothers were following “an order from a government entity,” a vague reference to Iran. The Iranian ambassador denied that Tehran was involved, which has become a standard feature in Iran-linked terror attacks worldwide.

Meanwhile, a synagogue in the Belgian city Liege was damaged on Monday in a pre-dawn explosion that did not result in any injuries. Local authorities are reviewing a video, posted within a Shia “militant online community,” that claimed responsibility for the attack.

Thomas Reneard, who heads the International Centre for Counter-Terrorism, warned that the Islamic ayatollah regime could activate existing criminal networks across Europe and the Western world to carry out attacks. 

“Iran is the main sponsor of these organizations – even though their objectives may differ from those of Tehran,” Renard explained. “Less likely – but very serious – would be the activation of Iranian agents who have infiltrated Europe,” he added, though “burning your agents is generally a last resort."

There are also growing concerns of “lone wolf” terror attacks across Europe that could be inspired by the ayatollah regime’s anti-Jewish and anti-Western propaganda. Lone wolf attackers are considered particularly difficult to stop because they tend to keep a low profile and are typically not officially affiliated with terrorist organizations or criminal organizations. 

“Isolated individuals could take action, because they are in a cycle of heavy consumption of propaganda, combined with an intense media cycle that would draw a great deal of attention to any potential attack,” Reneard said.

Authorities in Azerbaijan recently arrested seven Azeri nationals who were reportedly planning to carry out terrorist attacks against local Jews and the Israeli embassy on behalf of Iran. 

Police officers in Austin, Texas, recently eliminated Ndiaga Diagne, a Senegalese national who killed two civilians in a local bar. Diagne was wearing a sweatshirt stating, “Property of Allah,” and has reportedly expressed “pro-Iranian regime sentiment” on social media, according to the SITE Intelligence Group. 

U.S researcher Matthew Levitt noted that the Islamic Republic of Iran has a long history of carrying out terrorist attacks against Jews, Israelis and Iranian dissidents abroad. 

“Iran sees terrorism as an extension of foreign policy – an asymmetric means of reaching its adversaries beyond its borders despite their military superiority,” Levitt explained.

A European report in 2024 revealed that the Islamic ayatollah regime used criminal networks to carry out attacks against Jews, Israelis and Iranian dissident expats across European countries. Many of these networks consist of individuals of Middle Eastern origin who are either ideologically or financially linked to Tehran. 

“Iran operates many criminal organizations in Sweden and Europe, in general, while taking advantage of the relative advantage of each and sometimes the rivalry between them,” the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad warned in 2024.