MSS vigilant on radicalisation of youths despite low terror threat on Malta

Malta’s secret service, the MSS, said that while terrorism prevention is at the top of its agenda, its workload has been characterised by investigations against drug trafficking and illegal migration, as well as cyber-threats to critical infrastructure.

Malta registered a low threat of terrorism in 2022, suggesting the island’s reputation for safety remains intact despite geopolitical tensions in nearby Mediterranean countries.

Malta’s Security Service (MSS) said in its annual report for 2022 that while terror attacks in Malta are possible, evidence concerning capacity or presence of terror cells on the island suggest this was as yet improbable.

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“Locally there have been no reports, yet the level of threat in the EU remains high, with member states suffering attacks of a low level of complexity, which it itself raises the threat level,” the MSS said in a report tabled in the House of Representatives.

The MSS said such unsophisticated terror attacks made them impervious to detection. “In the light of these new developments, Malta’s strategy against terror is being reviewed and updated in a bid to prevent similar acts. Prevent Network Malta, operational since 2018, is widening knowledge sharing beyond Malta through its participation in workshops on radicalisation, violent extremism, and other sensitive areas.”

The MSS added that it had collaborated with foreign agencies in the prevention of terror attacks in other countries, paying tribute to this cooperation as a matter of long-term investment for the MSS.

The MSS said in terms of terror threats, the main actors remain Islamic Jihadists, as well as far-right terrorists and similar anti-state actors.

The latter actor was especially novel, the MSS said. “The phenomenon of violent extremists against the system or governments, unaffiliated to any ideology, marries a modus operandi to religious or ideological and non-ideological narratives. Indeed such individuals without any clear affiliation with a terror group, appear to be the greatest threat, many of them having clear mental health problems.”

The MSS also said that given Malta’s proximity to war-torn countries in North Africa, chiefly Libya, it was necessary to remain vigilant against the radicalisation of vulnerable persons, especially youths. “This is a very delicate challenge because it is hard to detect people who have been radicalised or recruited online. It is important to be prepared for any eventuality. Vigilance and preparedness are vital to a country’s and its citizens’ safety and security, for its foreign interests, and its economic wellbeing.”

In 2023, seven young people from Syria faced terrorism related charges, including teaching others how to use explosives and firearms. Aged between 21 and 27, the men were arrested in an operation that also involved Europol, the European law enforcement agency.