There is a “huge risk of terrorist attacks” in the European Union during the upcoming holiday season, a senior EU official has announced, bbc.com reports.
European Home Affairs Commissioner Ilva Johansson said that the war between Israel and Hamas has led to an increased risk of violence in society. Her comments came days after a tourist was fatally stabbed in Paris.
Johansson said the EU would provide an additional 30 million euros for defence, but she did not specify whether there was any specific information that led to the warning.
“We saw it recently in Paris, unfortunately we’ve seen it before,” she added.
A similar warning was issued by German Interior Minister Nancy Fesser, who told reporters that the EU must closely monitor threats and propaganda because of the high “risk of further radicalization of violent Islamists”.
Hate crimes have risen in many European countries since Hamas militants attacked Israeli communities, killing around 1,200 people and taking many more hostages in Gaza. Israel’s invasion of Gaza has killed more than 15,000 people since the war began, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
EU ministers met on Saturday after an attack near the Eiffel Tower in which a 23-year-old German tourist was stabbed to death and his girlfriend was injured.
The young German couple had visited Disneyland Paris, the Louvre and taken selfies at the Eiffel Tower before the attack.
Police said the 26-year-old French suspect, who comes from a non-religious Iranian family, had pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group.
The man, who was arrested at the scene, had previously been jailed for planning a terrorist attack in the La Défense business district outside Paris.
In 2020, he was interviewed by the French police for his contact with Abdoullak Anzorov, who killed teacher Samuel Petty.
Anti-terrorism prosecutor Jean-Francois Ricard said the man’s mother had raised concerns about his behavior, although at the time there was no evidence to take further action against him.
Germany is also on high alert for possible attacks – last week two boys were arrested in different parts of the country on suspicion of planning an attack by Islamist militants on a Christmas market in the city of Leverkusen, and a 20-year-old Iraqi man who came to Germany last year is in custody on suspicion for planning a knife attack on a Christmas market in Hanover.
The head of Germany’s internal intelligence service, Stefan Kramer, has warned of the “considerable danger” posed by Hamas not only for Christmas markets, but also for important sporting events such as the Paris Olympics and the European 2024 football championship, which will take place in 2024.
2023-12-06 08:21:26
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