THERE WERE 11 arrests made in Ireland last year in connection with terror offences, with three of those related to Islamic terrorism.

The remaining eight arrests were connected to republican activities, which is down from 16 the previous year.

That’s according to a new report from Europol, breaking down the current situation and trends in terrorism across the European Union.

It noted an increase in jihadist attacks but a “decrease in the sophistication of their preparation and execution”.

Overall, there 205 foiled, failed and completed terror attacks reported by nine EU member states. The vast majority were in the UK (107) with 54 also reported in France.

“Similar to 2016, nearly all reported fatalities and casualties were the result of jihadist terrorist attacks,” it said.

Most terror arrests across the EU was jihadist-related, and successful attacks resulted in the deaths of 62 people.

While there were relatively few arrests for terror offences in Ireland, there were far more in Northern Ireland with 88 arrests, with 58 shootings and 30 bombing incidents cited.

It highlighted one case where a PSNI officer was shot in Belfast among five attacks against “national security targets”.

The report said: “Dissident republican terrorist groups opposed to the peace process remain the most significant threat to national security in Northern Ireland.

Apart from attacks on the security services, many dissident republicans are also heavily involved in criminal activities for personal gain, including smuggling and extortion.

Europol also noted that the number of people travelling to fight in Syria and Iraq has dropped considerably, as has the numbers returning from there.

As Islamic State gets weaker, it said, it’s been urging its followers to carry out “lone actor type attacks in their home countries”.

“This poses a significant challenge to the authorities in terms of setting up counter measures,” it added.