The operation focused on the “The Com” network, and the joint effort resulted in the flagging of 4,340 URLs (digital addresses) linked to nihilistic violent extremism. This ideology rejects the existing societal model and employs violence to destroy it, without proposing an alternative.

The National Counter-Terrorism Unit of the Polícia Judiciária (PJ) took part in the joint action, which was coordinated by the Europol unit specialising in detecting, analysing, and flagging terrorist and violent extremist content online, alongside Spain’s Intelligence Centre against Terrorism and Organised Crime (CITCO).

The operation aimed to disrupt the digital ecosystem, limit the spread of propaganda, identify new lines of investigation, and “strengthen response capabilities and platform awareness regarding online terrorist content produced by these groups.”

In its statement, the PJ described the nature of the content: videos and images depicting self-harm, suicide, child sexual abuse, animal cruelty, and violent assaults.

It also included manuals on grooming, homicide, and the construction of improvised explosive devices, “in a context where minors appear as both victims and perpetrators.”

In addition to Portugal, the operation involved Belgium, Finland, Hungary, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Spain, and Sweden.

In Portugal, the 132 items were detected on the Telegram platform, which the PJ identifies as the hub for the most severe elements of “The Com” network—featuring private forums and chat rooms “where victims and potential members are directed after being initially recruited via open social media networks.”