The Real-World Impact of Online Radicalization on Global Security: Terror Attacks Q1 2025 Analysis

Online radicalization remains one of the most complex and urgent challenges facing governments, platforms and regulators. As the UK’s Online Safety Act (OSA), and the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA), come into force, placing new duties on tech companies to address harmful content and activity, understanding the real-world consequences when online risks go unchecked is vital.

At Resolver Trust & Safety, we have investigated a number of recent instances of online radicalization leading to real world violence – demonstrating how extremist content can contribute to offline harm. Preventing these pathways to violence is at the heart of the evolving online safety landscape. Our review of the violent terror attacks conducted over the first quarter of 2025 found that the increasing prevalence of ideological content online was a contributing factor to radicalizing perpetrators to commit violent acts in the real-world.

These findings suggest that terrorist groups, such as Islamic State, despite their notoriety are able to maintain continued online presence and highlight the various tactics and techniques used by proscribed terror organisations to disseminate propaganda and other ideological materials. For Trust and Safety professionals working at major social platforms these findings raise an important question as to the mitigation strategies needed to combat these online presences.

We’re proud to be at the forefront of online risk intelligence, providing clients with timely and proactive monitoring and intelligence of escalating terrorism threats globally, to best support in mitigation and minimization of the threat impact.

This report focuses exclusively on noteworthy, credible, and confirmed events in which the perpetrator was radicalized online. Instances of gang violence, foiled and disputed cases, or incidents without terrorism charges, or cases in which key details are not yet public because of ongoing legal proceedings, have been deliberately excluded to maintain the report’s focus and accuracy.

Terrorism Tracker: Online-Inspired Violence in Q1 2025

Geographic distribution of terror attacks across Q1 2025.

New Orleans, USA

• Date: 1st January
• Incident: In the early hours of New Year’s Day, a 42-year-old man drove a pickup truck into a crowd in New Orleans, killing 14 people. After exiting the vehicle, he engaged in a shootout with police before being shot and killed.
• Radicalization: Online – Islamic State inspired. It is widely accepted that the perpetrator was self-radicalized online, influenced by radical Islamic teachings available on mainstream social media platforms, as well as following Islamic State forums and accounts.
• Additional online role: Prior to the attack, the assailant posted five videos on social media, declaring his membership and allegiance to the Islamic State.
• Resolver Response: Immediately following the incident, Resolver’s 24/7 Imminent Threat team had identified and alerted our clients to egregious aftermath footage online, in addition to identifiable information on the individual, aiding in platform reviews for associated content.

Las Vegas, USA

• Date: 1st January
• Incident: An active-duty US service member fatally shot himself in the head while in a Tesla Cybertruck parked outside the Trump International Hotel in Los Angeles. The vehicle then exploded, having been equipped with explosive devices and fireworks.
• Radicalization: Online – likely accelerationist ideology. The attacker left a manifesto citing political grievances, with the perpetrator previously posting extremist material in private online groups. There are currently no confirmed links to any formal terror networks and investigations are ongoing.
• Additional online role: The perpetrator reportedly used a popular Artificial Intelligence (AI) software to assist in planning the attack, including gathering information on how to assemble explosives and the necessary firing speed for the explosives to detonate.
• Resolver Response: Immediately following the incident, Resolver’s 24/7 Imminent Threat team had identified and alerted our clients to egregious aftermath footage online, in addition to identifiable information on the individual, aiding in platform reviews for associated content.

Munich, Germany

• Date: 13th February
• Incident: A man drove a vehicle into a crowd of demonstrators in Munich, killing two people. Prosecutors claim the assailant had an Islamist motive. The attacker also had an online following on his body building social media pages.
• Radicalization: Online – Islamist Terrorism. Investigators found indications that the attacker was influenced by online extremist material, posting an Islamic sermon shortly before the attack. After his arrest, he claimed that the attack was religiously motivated, although no formal connection has been made to a specific terror organisation.

Villach, Austria

• Date: 15th February
• Incident: Near the Villach city main square, a 23-year-old man randomly stabbed 6 pedestrians, killing a 14-year-old boy.
• Radicalization: Online – Islamic State inspired. Austrian officials reported that the attacker was self- radicalized online, had “online interactions with ISIS sympathisers”, consumed extremist content on mainstream social media platforms before planning the attack, and pledged allegiance to ISIS on video. Authorities also discovered an ISIS flag in his home of residence.
• Resolver Response: In the aftermath of the incident, Resolver’s 24/7 Imminent Threat team stood up monitoring of this event, triaging aftermath footage and potential glorification content.

Mulhouse, France

• Date: 22nd February
• Incident: A stabbing attack took place in Mulhouse, where the assailant attacked municipal police officers near a crowded market, which resulted in the death of a man who intervened.
• Radicalization: Suspected combination of online and in-person contacts – Islamist Terrorism. The attacker was previously convicted of glorifying terrorism online in 2023, after posting a 15 minute video in which he incited violence, calling on muslims to “take up arms and fight the unbelievers” and was sentenced to 6 months in prison. While he had a history of promoting extremist views online, his activity suggests he was radicalized through both online and in-person engagements.
• Resolver Response: In the aftermath of the incident, Resolver’s 24/7 Imminent Threat team alerted to the dissemination of graphic aftermath footage across social media, aiding clients in setting up breaking news protocols to take down egregious content.

Dohuk, Iraq

• Date: 28th March Incident: During the Assyrian Christian New Year parade, a man attacked participants with an axe before being restrained. Videos circulated online of the attacker shouting “Islamic State, Islamic State remains.”
• Radicalization: Online – Islamic State inspired. The Kurdistan Regional Council identified the attacker as having beliefs that aligned with ISIS ideology, and authorities have indicated that he was inspired by the group’s propaganda.
• Resolver Response: Resolver’s Intelligence teams set up monitoring in anticipation of cultural and societal events, to proactively identify and mitigate against risk. Resolver’s Intelligence teams proactively identified the aforementioned videos, alerting clients to potential glorification threats.

Extremist propaganda acts as gateway to real-world harms

The first quarter of 2025 highlighted the urgent and evolving threat of online radicalization, with several terror attacks directly linked to individuals influenced through digital propaganda. These findings reinforce how extremist content online can escalate into real-world violence, not only through initial radicalization, but also by inspiring further attacks via social media amplification.

The findings point to the continued outsized influence of the Islamic State online. While such trends may appear predominantly Western issues, they are, in fact, global challenges. In regions such as the Asia-Pacific (APAC) and Africa, where local and social drivers of extremism take precedent, violent groups still maintain a sophisticated and targeted online presence.

Such extremist networks on social platforms are used not only for recruitment and ideological dissemination, but also for shaping narratives and inciting action in much the same way as seen in Western contexts. For example, earlier this year 3 Singaporeans were arrested after they were found separately self-radicalizing online, likely motivated by the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict.

Disrupting digital terror networks on social platforms

Resolver’s appraisal of violent terror attacks across the first quarter of 2025 revealed that these incidents were predominantly fuelled by radical online content amplified across social media platforms. Such content may even have been the primary driver for some of them which is deeply alarming, particularly for those working in the Trust & Safety space. While we might typically expect extreme material to be confined to encrypted messaging apps or the dark web, its presence on surface-level internet browsing and platforms remains a significant risk.

Violent Extremism-linked content on mainstream social media platforms is often, though not always, more implicit and less graphic – a conscious strategy used to avoid detection by moderators. However, its wide reach can result in a far greater impact. Content posted on mainstream social media platforms frequently directs viewers to off-platform links, where material is often much more explicit and overtly encourages real-world attacks. In this way, mainstream platforms unintentionally act as a conduit, facilitating access to more radical and extreme content.

In the Trust & Safety space, it is essential that we take proactive steps to disrupt networks that drive radicalization. This includes the swift identification of accounts that serve as vectors for extremist content and recruitment, along with an agile and informed response to the continuous evolution of tactics, techniques and procedures (TTPs).

Beyond platform enforcement, there is a pressing need to support and facilitate law enforcement efforts to identify and arrest those responsible for developing these networks. The Trust & Safety community plays a vital part in facilitating disruptive action by law enforcement before online threats can manifest as real-world tragedies.

Towards a global strategy for combating violent extremism online

Resolver Trust & Safety has been identifying and mitigating online harms for 20 years, notably violent extremism. Our expert teams, who have collectively several decades of former military, academia and law enforcement experience, utilize their linguistic, regional and cultural knowledge to identify these evolving risks 24/7.

Our 200 analysts, covering over 50 global languages in all Trust & Safety risk verticals, supercharged by our best-in-class technology platform and tooling ensures our partners are the first to know about risk that impacts them, so they can be first to act when it comes to harmful and egregious online content.

The examples in this report of violent extremist attacks driven by online contact only scratch the surface. This snapshot does not include adjacent but equally concerning forms of violence influenced by online ecosystems which Resolver also monitors, such as school shootings, cartel recruitment, or gang-related radicalization. These spheres are increasingly shaped by the same digital tactics by glorifying violence and directly targeting vulnerable individuals through online platforms.

The prevention of a potentially catastrophic violent incident at a public school in the US is one of many real-world examples that reiterate both the severity of the threats lurking in the social media platform landscape, and the efficacy of Resolver’s Trust and Safety Intelligence service.

Conclusion

The findings raise a critical question, how should Trust and Safety teams define and manage violent extremism and terrorism online in today’s landscape? The attacks included in this report involve perpetrators who were self-radicalised online and inspired by groups like the Islamic State, without being formal members. However, an inconsistency remains in terms of how terrorism is classified across ideologies.

For example, the January 22nd Antioch High School shooting involved the release of a manifesto with explicit references to Inceldom, however the attack was not classified as terrorism. Such ambiguity makes it hard for Trust and Safety teams to get their arms around the challenge.

The same can be said for various instances of violent misogyny that have resulted in death or injury – though online content can be a driver in encouraging acts of real-world harm, the delineation between what constitutes domestic abuse and misogynistic violence can be complex to determine. The inconsistency complicates efforts to understand the root cause of radicalization, as these spheres are increasingly shaped by the same digital tactics: glorification of violence and directly targeting vulnerable individuals through online platforms.

When similar acts of violence are categorised differently based on the ideology or profile of the attacker, it creates significant oversights in both research and prevention strategies, making it harder to address the entire scope of ideologically motivated violence. Although the challenge goes beyond the Trust and Safety space and touches on law enforcement and even legislation, it is an issue that needs to be thought about deeply by Trust and Safety teams in their own moderation and policy enforcement efforts.

What is certain is that we need a more holistic, global strategy to address the digital roots of violent extremism, one that recognises the complexity and reach of online radicalization beyond traditional terrorism alone. Resolver is passionate about being at the heart of this global strategy and supporting our partners in managing the complexity. If you are taking a stand against the threat of violent extremism online and would benefit from our insight and support, reach out today.