Online Jihadist Propaganda - 2023 in review

This report is the seventh edition of the Annual Review of online jihadist propaganda that has been produced by the European Union’s Internet Referral Unit (EU IRU) at Europol. The review covers the period from 1 January to 31 December 2023 and presents an analysis of the major trends and developments in the online propaganda of the most prominent Sunni jihadist organisations – al-Qaeda (AQ) and the self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS) – as well as their branches and offshoots. 

In the review, we examine the trajectories of these groups, their responses to shifting dynamics, and their attempts to overcome setbacks. It also identifies the both types of and dominant themes within material produced by the two groups during this period, while highlighting changes in key areas related to online jihadist propaganda, such as main narratives and the abuse of technology for propaganda dissemination.

The aim of this paper is to help formulate threat assessments that account for the amplification and, at times, manipulation of terrorist messaging by supportive networks whose links to the hierarchy of terrorist groups remain unclear. The review stems from the EU IRU’s ongoing observation of online jihadist propaganda, and feeds into Europol’s wider work on strategic analysis, including the EU Terrorism Situation and Trend Report (EU TE-SAT).

Cite this publication: Europol (2024), Online Jihadist Propaganda – 2023 in review, Publications Office of the European Union, Luxembourg.