Al-Azhar headquarters in Cairo.
In a report issued by its Spanish-language monitoring unit, the Observatory stated that Daesh has sought to offset its losses in the Middle East by expanding propaganda efforts in less secure environments more vulnerable to extremist narratives.
The group, it noted, is exploiting fragile economic and social conditions as well as the widening gap between youth and educational or cultural institutions.
The report highlighted several incidents recorded in 2025, including: the thwarting of terrorist plots in Argentina involving young people recruited via platforms such as Telegram and Instagram; Uruguay’s appearance on Daesh’s threat map following the release of an incitement video; and arrests in Ecuador and Brazil that exposed attempts to form sleeper cells and plan domestic attacks.
According to the Observatory, these are not isolated incidents, but part of a deliberate Daesh strategy built on “digital terrorism,” which uses encrypted online propaganda to turn isolated individuals into “time bombs” threatening the region’s political and security stability.
The report concluded that confronting this threat cannot rely solely on security measures but requires a comprehensive strategy to strengthen minds, offer appealing intellectual and spiritual alternatives to youth, and enhance security and technological cooperation among Latin American states.
It warned that neglecting serious intellectual and developmental engagement could allow Latin America to emerge as a new theatre for global terrorism.
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