Europol and law enforcement agencies from ten countries have taken down 13 websites linked to terrorist operations.
The joint operation, known as Operation HOPPER II, targeted online platforms used by religious and politically motivated terrorist organizations to spread propaganda and recruit members.
Targeting Key Assets in Online Terrorist Propaganda
Operation HOPPER II focused on disrupting the online dissemination of terrorist propaganda by targeting websites operated by groups such as the so-called Islamic State, al-Qaeda, and Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham.
The operation resulted in the seizure of four servers in Romania, Ukraine, and Iceland and the removal of associated websites.
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The European Union Internet Referral Unit (EU IRU) within Europol’s European Counter Terrorism Centre coordinated the operation, working closely with law enforcement authorities from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Denmark, Germany, Iceland, Moldova, Romania, the Slovak Republic, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom.
PERCI: A Single System for Referrals and Removal Orders
Europol has developed a technical solution called the EU Platform on Illicit Content Online (PERCI) to facilitate the implementation of the Terrorist Content Online Regulation (TCO Regulation – (EU) 2021/784).
PERCI is a single system connecting EU Member States with hosting service providers, enabling the efficient transmission of removal orders for terrorist content.
The successful execution of Operation HOPPER II demonstrates the effectiveness of international cooperation in combating terrorist propaganda online.
By targeting key assets and leveraging advanced technical solutions, Europol and its partners continue to disrupt the ability of terrorist organizations to recruit, radicalize, and mobilize supporters through the Internet.
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