Massive Takedown by Europol, FBI & Co: Terrorist Communications Disrupted

Last month, ongoing coordination between law enforcement has borne fruit — after massive amounts of work, law enforcement agencies — Europol, FBI, and others — have taken down servers hosting terrorist content.

Preface

Terrorist networks like ISIS are still at large and that shouldn’t be a surprise — however, law enforcement agencies across the world (FBI, Europol, national police agencies, and others) aren’t sleeping. Last month, news broke that loads of servers supporting terrorist propaganda and infrastructure were taken down: the takedown spanned 4 countries — the US, Netherlands, Germany, and Iceland — with law enforcement agencies in other countries (Spain, etc.) getting involved too.

Ten (10) law enforcement agencies including Europol have taken down thirteen (13) websites linked to terrorist communications or propaganda.

Terrorists Communicated in 30 Languages

According to The Record, the takedown of terrorist communication networks was primarily coordinated from Spain together with Spain’s National Gendarmerie (”Guardia Civil”) — according to the Record, the communication networks had a global reach and had allowed terrorists to communicate and coordinate actions in many languages including English, French, Spanish, German, Danish, Arabic, Turkish, Russian, Indonesian, and more.

The international investigation led by the FBI and involving Europol and numerous other law enforcement agencies was said to have lasted for around a year and allowed law enforcement to uncover terabytes of information related to terrorism and other activities. The data recovered by law enforcement will likely be used for intelligence and other purposes across those law enforcement agencies that facilitated the takedown — Europol, FBI, Spanish gendarmerie & others.

Europol’s Role in the Takedown

The operation had required massive efforts and collaboration between numerous law enforcement agencies, and Europol was no stranger to it either. In this takedown, Europol was concerned with:

• Involving its European Counter Terrorism Centre (ECTC) in the investigation.
• Organizing dedicated coordination meetings.
• Assistance in the execution of Investigation Orders coming from the EU and working on MLA (Mutual Legal Assistance) treaties.
• Europol has set up a coordination center between agencies to facilitate faster communication and takedowns.
• Europol has organized operational meetings as part of the investigation phase.

It’s also possible that Europol has connected the police agencies in the parties involved — the US, Spain, Germany, the Netherlands, and Iceland and made their work easier. Thank you, law enforcement!

Upcoming Threats

In the face of this takedown by the FBI, Europol, and other law enforcement partners, it’s crucially important to remain vigilant and careful of your activity on the web and beyond.

Remaining vigilant is a tedious task — data breach search engines like BreachDirectory are here to assist you in every step of the way. The BreachDirectory data breach search engine and the BreachDirectory API will make sure that precious data is safe at all times:

• The data breach search engine will let you scan through hundreds of publicly available data breaches to figure out whether your data is at risk of identity theft.
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Summary

There’s no doubt — the recent takedown by Europol, FBI, and other law enforcement partners was a massive strike right into the heart of terrorism in Europe and abroad.

This strike by law enforcement has disrupted terrorist communication channels at home and abroad and that’s always good news — however, it’s important to remain vigilant on the web too. While terrorists may not come looking for you through a website or an app you’ve used, cyber crooks may certainly take interest in your data. Make use of the BreachDirectory data breach search engine and start protecting your precious data today.

Make sure to follow us on X (Twitter), LinkedIn, and Facebook for more updates, and until next time.

FAQ

What is Europol?

Europol is the agency that helps keep Europe safe — Europol facilitates the collaboration of law enforcement within the EU, but in some cases (like taking down terrorists, etc.) they also collaborate with law enforcement overseas. Europol is headquartered in the Hague, in the Netherlands. Learn more about Europol.

Should I Worry About Terrorist Threats?

You shouldn’t be overly worried about terrorist threats, but you should always be aware of them. Be mindful of the recommendations of your local government/law enforcement agencies, adhere to them, and you should be safe.

How to Keep Myself Safe on the Web?

Keep yourself safe on the web by using password managers, avoid sharing too much of your personal details with strangers, and make use of data breach search engines like BreachDirectory to see if your accounts are at risk of identity theft.