New Delhi: Social media platforms are increasingly being weaponised by terrorist organisations to radicalise individuals and orchestrate attacks across the Indian subcontinent and beyond, according to a report by Eurasia Review.
The report titled ‘Weaponisation Of Social Media Platforms For Radicalisation: A Threat Looming Large In The Indian Subcontinent’ states that recent incidents such as the Red Fort attack on November 10, 2025 and the Bondi Beach attack on December 14, 2025 demonstrate how extremist networks are systematically using social media to incite violence and highlights how digital propaganda, encrypted messaging platforms and online psychological manipulation are being used to recruit and mobilise vulnerable individuals.
According to the report, “The Red Fort attack in India on 10 November 2025 and the Bondi Beach attack in Australia on 14 December demonstrate how social media platforms are being systematically weaponised to radicalise individuals to launch terrorist attacks.” It adds that while such incidents are often portrayed as lone-wolf attacks, “far from reality, such attacks are concealed as individual efforts but are systematically designed and organised.”
The report explains that terrorist organisations are using fake news, propaganda and narrative warfare to manipulate individuals online. “Fake news, narrative wars, and propaganda serve as powerful tools that coax vulnerable, deranged, antisocial individuals in the name of religion, state, or a dystopian agenda,” it states.
It further notes that modern terror groups are increasingly combining ideology with technology. “Modern terrorist organisations are not only exploiting ideological divides or logistical networks; they are also leveraging advanced digital technologies and weaponising them.”
According to the study, social media’s characteristics, being low-cost, decentralised, fast and globally connected, make it an effective tool for extremist groups to conduct propaganda campaigns, recruit followers and mobilise attacks. “Although social media can be characterised as an enabler rather than a primary driver of terrorism, its role in the modern-day terror cycle cannot be overstated,” the report said.
The report highlights the role of the Islamic State and its affiliates in spearheading these online campaigns. It notes that despite territorial losses in Iraq and Syria, IS has strengthened its digital operations and shifted towards expanding ideological influence through online propaganda networks.
The report also states that extremist networks are increasingly active in South Asia. “By 2024, IS’s online networks expanded to include countries like India and Bangladesh to influence the vulnerable population through secure communication channels. India has been gravely affected by the expansion of IS’s radicalisation in the subcontinent,” it said.
It also named Pakistan-based terror groups such as The Resistance Front and People’s Anti-Fascist Front as among those using social media platforms for propaganda. The report further claimed that extremist organisations such as Jamaat-e-Islami have deep roots in Bangladesh and alleged support networks linked to Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence.
Investigators cited in the report also found that the attackers involved in the Red Fort incident were radicalised online and described the phenomenon as “white collar terrorism” because many perpetrators were well-educated individuals. Terrorists reportedly used encrypted communication platforms such as Threema, which offers end-to-end encryption, no metadata storage and message deletion features, making forensic tracking difficult.
The report also highlights the rise of cyber-enabled terrorism in regions such as Jammu and Kashmir, where online recruitment drives and encrypted messaging platforms have helped connect youths to extremist networks.
It added that governments across the region are beginning to respond with stronger regulations. Countries including Australia, Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia have introduced laws to counter online extremism, while India reportedly blocked 9,845 URLs promoting radicalisation and terrorist propaganda in 2025 alone.
The report concludes that regional and global cooperation will be essential to tackle the growing threat. It emphasises the need for stronger cybersecurity frameworks and closer intelligence collaboration to address cross-border digital radicalisation and online terror networks.
(IANS)
