The Com: Europol’s Project Compass Reports First Results with 30 Arrests and Over 170 Identifications
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Key Takeaways
- International Collaboration: Project Compass unites law enforcement from 28 countries, including EU Member States and international partners like the US, UK, Canada, and Australia.
- Significant Results: In its first year, the project has led to 30 arrests, the safeguarding of four victims, and the identification of 179 perpetrators linked to "The Com" network.
- Targeted Network: The Com is a decentralized extremist network that uses various online platforms to recruit, radicalize, and exploit minors and vulnerable individuals.
Europol's Project Compass has successfully disrupted the activities of The Com, a decentralized network known for targeting vulnerable individuals online. The project has identified 62 victims and 179 perpetrators, providing critical data for ongoing and future investigations. Results include 30 arrests and the safeguarding of four victims.
Coordinated by Europol’s European Counter Terrorism Centre, Europol's Project Compass is in its first year and involves a robust coalition of 28 countries, including EU Member States, Norway, Switzerland, the U.K., the U.S., Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.
Dismantling The Com Extremist Network
The Com extremist network operates within a fragmented digital ecosystem, leveraging social media, messaging apps, and even online music streaming and gaming environments to “recruit, radicalise and exploit” young people.
The Head of Europol’s European Counter Terrorism Centre, Anna Sjöberg, emphasized that such networks deliberately target children in digital spaces “where they feel most at ease.”
Its decentralized structure makes it particularly resilient and difficult to track, necessitating the sustained international cooperation facilitated by Project Compass. The initiative enables coordinated investigations and the rapid exchange of operational intelligence, closing the gaps that such networks use to operate across borders.
The Future of International Cooperation
Project Compass directly supports the EU's agenda to prevent and counter terrorism and violent extremism. By strengthening cross-border counter-terrorism efforts, the project enhances resilience against both digital and physical threats posed by groups like The Com.
The success of Europol’s Project Compass proves that international collaboration is essential to intervene early, protect victims, and disrupt criminal actors who exploit vulnerability for extremist purposes.
In December, Europol announced the arrest of over 190 individuals linked to Violence-as-a-Service criminal networks recruiting on social media. Earlier in 2025, a 19-year-old with past ties to The Com gained access to sensitive U.S. government systems.
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