TEXAS / USA - Elon Musk has once again drawn attention with his warning about the deteriorating security situation in Europe. In a statement that is being widely circulated by European media and social networks, he points to what he believes is an increasing number of attacks and claims that traditional media are downplaying their scale. His remarks primarily concern Italy and other European countries. Musk stated that, according to his observations, the number of attacks, terrorist acts, and cases of innocent people being killed is increasing. He explained his estimate by extrapolating a trend.
If the current trajectory continues, it could lead to significantly more serious violent incidents, "Ultimately, I think we will see widespread bloodshed in Europe," Musk said in a statement that was originally made in connection with his appearance in Italy. He also criticized so-called traditional or mainstream media, which he believes do not adequately address some of the attacks.
However, his claims must be separated from available official statistics. Current European data confirm that the terrorist threat remains a significant security problem, but they do not simply indicate a continuous increase in all types of terrorist attacks. According to data cited in European security analyses, 45 terrorist attacks were recorded in ten EU member states in 2025; approximately half were thwarted or incomplete, and six people were killed.
At the same time, European security institutions are pointing to a change in the nature of the terrorist threat. In addition to jihadist extremism, there are far-right, far-left, separatist, anarchist, nihilistic, and other forms of radicalization. According to security experts, the internet, social networks, and rapid online radicalization of individuals play a significant role. European Coordinator for Counter-Terrorism Bartjan Wegter warned in September 2026 that the current environment is different from the period before a quarter of a century.
According to him, terrorist threats are more decentralized, and young people can be motivated to violence through online communities and extremist content. Musk's statement, therefore, represents his own interpretation of security developments, while European statistical data provide a broader and more structured perspective. The discussion about the extent of the terrorist threat in Europe, therefore, includes both the question of the number of incidents and their nature, ideological background, victims, and the ways in which radicalization spreads in the digital space.
Jan Vojtěch, Editor-in-Chief of General News