2024 ends in the echo of the Magdeburg attack, a reminder of the gaps and weaknesses security agencies face when trying to combat terrorism. Earlier in December, the European Council acknowledged that “terrorism and violent extremism, as well as radicalisation, continue to pose a significant threat to the European Union and its Member States” and recognised how “destabilising internal and external events, such as Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, have heightened the terrorism threat level in some Member States and contributed to the intensification of radicalisation and social polarisation, potentially leading to terrorism and violent extremism across the Union”.