Three Romanian minors investigated for terrorist propaganda, searches in four counties

The investigation

Prosecutors from the Directorate for Investigating Organised Crime and Terrorism, Central Structure (DIICOT), are investigating three minors for repeatedly accessing and possessing terrorist propaganda. Two of them are 16 years old and one is 17. According to investigators, during 2026 the three used computer systems to reach propaganda promoting terrorist organisations, and held that material to absorb a terrorist ideology of Islamic character as part of a radicalization process. On 12 October 2026, prosecutors ordered the criminal investigation of all three to continue. The statements give only the age of each minor.

Searches in four counties

On Thursday, 15 October 2026, police and prosecutors carried out home search warrants in Constanța, Galați, Alba and Iași counties, at the homes and residences of the people suspected. Investigators seized evidence from the properties. The Romanian Police said the operation drew on fighters from the Special Operations Service, criminal investigators from the Galați and Iași county police inspectorates, and gendarmes from the Constanța Mobile Gendarmerie Group and the Alba County Gendarmerie Inspectorate. The Romanian Intelligence Service is providing informational support to the case. The General Inspectorate of the Romanian Police (IGPR) issued the account of the operation.

One suspect's alleged guides

Investigators found that one of the three allegedly drafted guides with conduct rules for a supporter or fighter of a terrorist organisation. According to the police account, the documents covered ways to conceal membership in the organisation, information on how intelligence services monitor suspected terrorists, and advice on dealing with the authorities and hiding hostile intentions. The suspect allegedly relied on several articles published on an online propaganda platform run by a terrorist organisation, which carries official communiqués from press channels and ideological material produced by its supporters. The statements do not say which of the three minors wrote the guides beyond describing one of them. According to prosecutors, one minor's actions add to the seriousness of the case.

Authorities' warning on radicalization

The prosecutors' office framed the issue in stark terms:

Radicalization is a growing phenomenon among children and young people in Romania.

DIICOT singled out adolescents as among the most vulnerable groups exposed to radicalization, and warned that young people can be drawn into the process without realizing what is happening. The IGPR said fast technological development makes it easy for people to connect online, which also allows extremist ideas to spread more widely.

Legal position

The authorities stress that the three minors are entitled to the procedural rights and guarantees set out in the Code of Criminal Procedure, along with the presumption of innocence. The case remains at the criminal investigation stage. Items of evidence were seized during the searches, and the investigation continues with SRI support.