Minister Jim O’Callaghan receives Cabinet approval to strengthen Ireland’s counter-terrorism laws with the publication of the Criminal Justice (Terrorist Offences) (Amendment) Bill 2025
- Published on: 10 June 2025
- Last updated on: 10 June 2025
The Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration Jim O’Callaghan today received cabinet approval to publish the Criminal Justice (Terrorist Offences) (Amendment) Bill 2025 to strengthen Ireland’s counter-terrorism laws.
The Terrorist Offences Bill 2025 will allow for the prosecution of a broader range of terrorist activities in light of the evolving nature of terrorism.
These include terrorist acts with a cross-border element, and cyber-attacks where the aim is to cause widespread harm.
This bill will bring Ireland’s counter-terrorism laws into line with those of other EU member states. This alignment will facilitate Ireland’s participation in enhanced counter-terrorism networks across the EU, enabling An Garda Síochána to tap into those networks to respond to both domestic and cross-border terrorist threats.
Speaking following the cabinet meeting, Minister Jim O’Callaghan said:
“I am very pleased to receive cabinet approval to publish this important piece of legislation. It will strengthen Ireland’s laws by broadening the scope of prosecutable offences in respect of terrorist activity and marks a significant step forward in ensuring that Ireland’s counter-terrorism framework is robust and fit for purpose in the face of modern terrorist threats.
“The bill will criminalise three new terrorist offences targeting the foreign terrorist fighter phenomenon:
- receiving training for the purpose of terrorism;
- travelling for the purpose of terrorism; and
- organising or facilitating travel for the purpose of terrorism.
“It also permits courts, when sentencing a person convicted of recruiting or providing training for terrorism, to treat as an aggravating factor that the offence was committed against a child.
“I am pleased to be progressing this legislation in line with the commitment contained in the Programme for Government.”
Notes
The Criminal Justice (Terrorist Offences) (Amendment) Act 2025 will give effect to Directive (EU) 2017/541 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 March 2017 on combating terrorism and replacing Council Framework Decision 2002/475/JHA and amending Council Decision 2005/671/JHA, accessible here.
The outline of the Criminal Justice (Terrorist Offences) (Amendment) Bill 2025 is included below:
Section 1 defines the Principal Act as the Criminal Justice (Terrorist Offences) Acts 2005.
Section 2 amends section 4(1) of the Principal Act by:
- replacing references to the EU Framework Decision (2002/475/JHA) with that of the EU Directive (2017/541), the new EU governing instrument underpinning our international counter-terrorism laws once this Bill passes
- introducing the new terrorist offences
Section 3 amends section 4A of the Principal Act to provide that, in the context of the offence of public provocation to commit a terrorist offence already in the Principal Act, this can be committed by the glorification of a terrorist activity (as required by the 2017 Directive).
Section 4 inserts a new section 4C in the Principal Act which sets out what constitutes the new offence of “receiving training for terrorism,” in addition to the offence of “providing training for terrorism” which is already defined in this section.
Section 5 inserts:
- a new section 4D in the Principal Act which sets out what constitutes the new offence of “travelling for the purpose of terrorism”; and
- a new section 4E in the Principal Act which sets out what constitutes the new offence of “organising or facilitating travelling for the purpose of terrorism”
Section 6 amends section 7(1) of the Principal Act to set out in paragraph (e) the penalties that the new offences will attract. The penalty on conviction on indictment for all three offences is a fine or imprisonment for up to 10 years. Section 6 also provides that, at the time of sentencing upon conviction for the offences of recruitment for terrorism and of providing training for terrorism, courts may treat as an aggravating factor the fact that the person so recruited or so trained by the guilty party was under the age of 18.
Section 7 provides for the insertion of the text of Directive (EU) 2017/541 in the Schedules to the Principal Act.
Section 8 amends Part 1 of Schedule 2 to the Principal Act which lists the offences that can, in certain contexts, be considered terrorist activity. A new paragraph 6A is inserted into Schedule 2 to include offences relating to data and information system interference in this list.
Section 9 is a standard provision providing for the short title, collective citation and commencement.