The fight against terrorism remains a top priority for the European Union and for Europol. The terrorist bomb attack at Burgas airport in Bulgaria and the shootings by a lone gunman in France claimed the lives of 14 people in 2012 and illustrate the serious threat that terrorism poses to the EU and its citizens, both inside and outside the Union’s territory. Three other citizens also lost their lives to terrorism in 2012, in separate attacks in Belgium, France and Northern Ireland. Europol continues to play a key role in combating organised crime and terrorism, using its unique information capabilities and expertise to support the competent authorities of the EU Member States., The TE-SAT is one of Europol’s most significant strategic analysis products. It offers law enforcement officials, policymakers and the general public facts and figures regarding terrorism in the EU while, at the same time, seeking to identify developing trends in this phenomenon. It is a public document produced annually and is based on information provided and verified by the competent authorities of the EU Member States. In contrast to previous years, the total number of terrorist attacks and terrorism-related arrests in the EU in 2012 showed a marked increase. The threat from terrorism, therefore, remains strong in Europe. It also continues to evolve from structured groups and networks to smaller EU-based groups and solo terrorists or lone actors, while the Internet remains a key facilitator for terrorism-related activities., Terrorism manifests itself in a variety of ways and can be driven by diverse motivations, including religion and strong ethno-nationalist sentiments that lead to separatist terrorism. The activities of religiously inspired terrorists are often triggered by developments in other parts of the world. This trend was especially evident in 2012 with increasing numbers of radicalised EU citizens travelling to regions of conflict to engage in terrorist activities. There is growing awareness of the threat posed by these people, should they return to the European Union intent on committing acts of terrorism. In this respect, the developments in the Sahel region are of major interest to the security situation of the EU,