Ireland’s first jihadist attack officially confirmed by gardaí in EU terror report

Waterford chaplain Fr Paul Murphy narrowly escaped with his life when a 16-year-old attacker repeatedly stabbed him with an eight-inch hunting knife. Picture Collins Courts

An Garda Síochána has officially reported Ireland’s first confirmed jihadist attack to the EU, citing the attempted murder of a Defence Forces chaplain by a radicalised teenager in August 2024.

The knife attack in Galway formed part of a notable rise in Islamist-inspired assaults across the EU last year.

A report by Europol, the EU police agency, said five people were killed in such attacks in 2024, with 16 injured — including Fr Paul Murphy at Renmore Barracks.

The Waterford chaplain narrowly escaped with his life when a 16-year-old attacker repeatedly stabbed him with an eight-inch hunting knife.

The boy thrust the knife through the half-open window of a moving car driven by Fr Murphy, continuing the attack for 90 seconds — first as the chaplain stopped at the barracks’ entrance, then as the car moved 25 metres into the complex.

The attacker, now 17, received an eight-year sentence for attempted murder.

The court previously heard the boy had converted to Islam at age 15 and was radicalised online by Islamic State–style material, including propaganda videos and footage of beheadings.

Some of the content featured Mohammed Emwazi, known as “Jihadi John,” a British national infamous for atrocities against hostages in Syria.

The boy was not charged with a terrorist offence, possibly due to the Director of Public Prosecutions' reluctance to bring such a charge against a juvenile.

The Irish Examiner first reported the attack as Ireland’s initial confirmed jihadist incident. However, the Europol report marks the first time An Garda Síochána has officially classified it as a “jihadist” attack.

The 2025 European Union Terrorism Situation and Trend Report (EU TE-SAT) said there were 58 terrorist attacks across 14 member states in 2024. These included 34 completed attacks, five failed attempts, and 19 foiled plots.

Of these, 24 attacks were attributed to jihadist terrorism — up from 14 in 2023.

“Jihadist terrorism remained the most lethal, resulting in five victims killed and 18 injured,” the report said.

It also noted that 20 of the 24 jihadist attacks were carried out by “lone actors,” including the incident in Ireland.

The total number of terrorist attacks in 2024 (58) marked a sharp drop from 2023 (120) but was still higher than 2022 (28).

In contrast, arrests related to terrorism have increased: 380 in 2022, 426 in 2023, and 449 in 2024. The majority were related to jihadist activity — 266 in 2022, 334 in 2023, and 289 in 2024.

Despite the rise of far-right political movements across Europe, confirmed far-right terrorist attacks remained low: one in 2024, two in 2023, and four in 2022.

Catherine De Bolle, Executive Director of Europol, said: “Terrorism and violent extremism continue to pose a persistent and multifaceted threat to the security of the European Union and its citizens. Driven by geopolitical tensions, accelerated by digital interconnectivity, and fuelled by ideologically diverse movements, these threats are becoming increasingly complex.” 

The report also cited Israel’s war in Gaza as a significant factor affecting terrorist threats across the EU.

“There were numerous attacks and calls to violence across the entire ideological spectrum,” the report said.

“Online terrorist and violent extremist propaganda instrumentalised the conflict and ignited hatred, with anti-Semitism being a common denominator in both. The Russian war of aggression against Ukraine was another driving factor for the spread of violent extremist narratives, radicalisation and mobilisation.”