News: Europe – Page 21 – Eye on Islamism

Israel-Hamas war poses long-term security threat, Belgian minister warns Interior Minister Annelies Verlinden tells POLITICO ‘flammability’ will likely continue even beyond any ceasefire.

January 2, 2024 Pieter Haeck

(Politico) The Israel-Hamas war has created a long-term threat to European security that is likely to last beyond any ceasefire, Belgium’s Interior Minister Annelies Verlinden has warned. Several countries, including Belgium, have raised their security threat level after terror attacks carried out […]

Channel migrants: Crossings fell in 2023, government figures show

January 1, 2024 Lauren Collins

(BBC) The number of migrants crossing the Channel has fallen year-on-year for the first time since current records began. Government figures show the total arrivals in 2023 were down by more than a third on 2022. The provisional annual total for the […]

Germany extends detention of 2 in suspected Cologne Cathedral plot

January 1, 2024 Unlisted Author

(AFP) German authorities on Monday extended the detention of two suspects over an alleged New Year’s plot to attack the cathedral in Cologne, which prompted heightened security at the site. One suspect is a 25-year-old from Tajikistan who was arrested before Christmas, […]

German officials detain a fifth suspect in connection with a threat to attack Cologne Cathedral

January 1, 2024 Unlisted Author

(AP) German authorities said Monday they detained another suspect in connection with an alleged threat of an attack on the world-famous Cologne Cathedral over the holidays, bringing the overall number of people detained in connection with the alleged plot to five. The […]

ISIS-supporting illegal migrant given UK citizenship despite security threat warnings from MI5

December 31, 2023 Kurt Zindulka

(Breitbart) An ISIS-supporting illegal migrant from Sudan has been granted the right to permanently reside in the United Kingdom after his lawyers successfully argued that deporting him to his homeland would endanger his human rights. British judges have dismissed concerns raised by […]

Police say man professing ‘love’ for Hamas was just ‘amicably arguing’ for his cause Exclusive: Jewish News supplied video of the incident on Oxford Street to the police along with the man's mobile number and email address. Police have refused to investigate, saying the proud terrorist sympathiser was legally 'supporting his own view.'

December 31, 2023 Richard Ferrer

(Jewish News) Police have refused to investigate a vile video of a man declaring “love and support” for Hamas, saying the footage shows the terrorist sympathiser “amicably arguing” for his cause. Jewish News supplied video [of] the incident on Oxford Street on […]

German officials detain 3 more suspects in connection with a Cologne Cathedral attack threat

December 31, 2023 Kirsten Grieshaber

(AP) Three more people were detained Sunday in connection with a reported threat of an attack on the Cologne Cathedral over the holidays, German authorities said. The detentions came only days after a 30-year-old Tajik man was detained in relation to an […]

France to cease acceptance of foreign-appointed imams starting 2024 France’s history of controversial measures has fueled concerns that this latest move is a continuation of policies targeting Islamic practices.

December 30, 2023 Sara Zouiten

(Morocco World News) French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin has announced that France will no longer accept new “detached imams” from foreign countries starting on January 1, 2024. The announcement follows President Emmanuel Macron’s 2020 decision to end the presence of around 300 […]

Police ramp up security at Cologne Cathedral for New Year’s German authorities are on high alert following a warning about a possible attack on the Cologne Cathedral on New Year's Eve.

December 30, 2023 Unlisted Author

(Deutsche Welle) Authorities in the German city of Cologne have increased security measures around its cathedral ahead of New Year’s Eve. Police officers armed with submachine guns were being deployed to protect people planning to ring in the new year near the […]

Police in Berlin ban pro-Palestinian New Year rally Authorities in Berlin have said the planned pro-Palestinian rally would carry a risk of 'crimes,' including displays of antisemitism and glorification of violence.

December 30, 2023 Unlisted Author

(Deutsche Welle) Berlin police announced on Saturday that a pro-Palestinian rally scheduled for New Year’s Eve in Berlin’s Neukölln district should not take place. Officials said the decision had been taken because of an imminent danger “that the gathering will result in […]

France beefs up New Year’s security due to ‘terrorist’ threat

December 29, 2023 Unlisted Author

(AFP) The French government said on Friday it will deploy more than 95,000 police and military personnel for New Year Eve’s celebrations, adding that a heightened “terrorist threat” required tight security. Paris alone, where up to one million revellers are expected on […]

Penalizing satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo for defamation is ‘historic’: Muslim association Court fined magazine's editor-in-chief, another journalist $3,330 each for linking school to Muslim Brotherhood

December 28, 2023 Feiza Ben Mohamed

(Anadolu) Penalizing the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo for defamation is a “historical decision,” a Muslim association said. The controversial magazine was fined on Dec. 22 for defaming the Muslim school “Valeurs et Reussite” in France’s southeastern town of Valence. The school […]

German police chief voices concern over Islamist terror threat

December 27, 2023 Ben Cohen

(Algemeiner) The head of Germany’s police service on Wednesday said there was little doubt that four men detained on Dec. 14 were planning terrorist attacks on Jewish targets at the behest of Hamas. “There is an urgent suspicion that the accused allegedly […]

Council of State greenlights extradition of 30-year-old Moroccan man believed to be an ISIS member

December 27, 2023 Unlisted Author

(Kathimerini) The Council of State, Greece’s highest administrative court, on Wednesday approved the extradition of a 30-year-old Moroccan man who is believed to be a member of the ISIS terrorist group. The man was arrested in Thessaloniki in July 2021 after a […]

Austria wants to tap Islamists’ messenger apps amid Europe terrorism fears Germany and Austria arrest a group of people from Tajikistan over warnings of a New Year's Eve attack

December 27, 2023 Nicky Harley

(National-UAE) Austria’s interior minister is calling for the security services to be given access to suspects’ messenger apps in an attempt to thwart terrorist attacks. [This] comes after five people from Tajikistan were arrested in Austria and Germany with European nations on […]

Warning of ‘increased risk’ of ISIS terror attacks across Europe on New Year’s Eve Experts say terror group remains a 'serious threat' as arrests made in Spain, Austria, France and Germany

December 26, 2023 Nicky Harley

(National-UAE) Security services across Europe have uncovered an ISIS plot to use explosives to target churches. Counter-terrorism experts say the group remains a “serious threat” and is taking advantage of the conflict in Gaza to motivate its supporters. Over the Christmas period, […]

Germany: Man detained over Cologne Cathedral threat Police said a 30-year-old man would be detained until 7 January. German police had received an alert that a group may be planning an attack on the Cologne Cathedral on New Year's Eve.

December 26, 2023 Unlisted Author

(Deutsche Welle) German police said on Tuesday they had detained a man in connection with a dangerous threat at the iconic Cologne Cathedral in the western state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW). Police announced the arrest of five men after searching an apartment in Wesel, some […]

Five arrested in French anti-terror raids released

December 25, 2023 Unlisted Author

(AFP) Five people arrested in northern France last week as part of an investigation into a criminal terrorist conspiracy have been released without charge, a judicial source said Monday. Four of them, students aged between 20 and 23 years old, were released […]

No evidence of terrorist attacks in Switzerland

December 24, 2023 Unlisted Author

(Swiss Info) The Federal Intelligence Service has no indications of concrete plans for terrorist attacks in Switzerland. However, the FIS still considers the threat of terrorism in Switzerland to be heightened, as it announced in response to an enquiry from the Keystone-SDA […]

Austria detains suspected Islamists amid security fears

December 24, 2023 Unlisted Author

(AFP) Austria on Sunday said three people were detained for suspected involvement in an “Islamist network,” as Vienna and Cologne step up police controls citing heightened security concerns during Christmas. German police are carrying out strict controls at the entry of the […]

Jihadist arrested by Guardia Civil in Sevilla

December 23, 2023 John Ensor

(Euro Weekly) Spanish authorities have scored another victory in the ongoing battle against online jihadist extremism. On Friday, December 22, the Guardia Civil reported how they recently apprehended an individual in La Rinconada, Sevilla, for spreading jihadist propaganda. This arrest highlights the […]

Wakefield: Meat check failings behind halal mix-up at school

December 23, 2023 Unlisted Author

(BBC) Primary school pupils expecting halal meat may have been served food which breached the Islamic rule due to a failure in checks, a school has said. In June, it was discovered some meat served to pupils at Outwood Primary Academy Greenhill […]

Christmas Eve worshippers to face security screening at Cologne cathedral as police cite attack risk

December 23, 2023 Unlisted Author

(AP) Cologne police acting on indications of a possible attack searched Germany’s landmark cathedral with sniffer dogs Saturday and said worshippers attending Christmas Eve Mass would undergo security screening before being allowed in. In Austria, police in Vienna also said they were […]

‘Threat-board flashes red’ over Gaza radicalisation spilling into Europe Continued Israeli military operation is driving more people into the arms of extremists, experts tell the National

December 22, 2023 Thomas Harding

(National-UAE) Widespread terrorist attacks by Islamic extremists in Europe are a genuine prospect as a result of the mounting deaths in Gaza, security analysts have told the National. While increased state surveillance has made it difficult to mount spectacular attacks such as […]

Man jailed for spying on Iran International TV channel in London to help terror plotters Magomed-Husejn Dovtaev told the jury at his Old Bailey trial he 'quite simply liked' the buildings and architecture surrounding the west London headquarters of the Iranian television channel.

December 22, 2023 Unlisted Author

(Sky News) A Chechen-born man has been jailed after being found guilty of spying on a London-based dissident Iranian TV station to help terror plotters. Magomed-Husejn Dovtaev, 31, was accused of conducting surveillance on the west London headquarters of Iran International as […]

Coventry man jailed for terror charge after building ISIS drone PhD student Mohamad Al-Bared will serve a minimum of 20 years.

December 22, 2023 Lia Desai

(Planet Radio) A Coventry man’s been sentenced to life in prison for preparing acts of terrorism, after building a drone with the intention of supplying it to a banned terrorist organisation. Mohamad Al-Bared will serve a minimum of 20 years. The jury […]

Terror threat student to be deported after jail sentence

December 22, 2023 Unlisted Author

(BBC) A Nigerian masters student who made terrorist threats against Dundee University has been jailed for 40 months. Somtochukwu Okwuoha claimed he had enlisted Isis to help bomb the university and told staff he planned to target the city in a chemical […]

Five held in anti-terror operation in north France

December 22, 2023 Unlisted Author

(AFP) Five people were arrested in northern France on Friday as part of an investigation into a criminal terrorist conspiracy, the national anti-terrorist prosecutor’s office said. A source close to the case confirmed to AFP that they had been taken into police […]

Germany charges 2 Syrians with war crimes over IS ties Authorities accuse the two Syrians in German custody of membership in a terrorist group and having committed war crimes in Damascus a decade ago.

December 22, 2023 Unlisted Author

(Deutsche Welle) German prosecutors have charged two Syrian men with war crimes they are accused of having committed some 10 years ago in the Syrian capital Damascus, as part of the so-called Islamic State militant group. In line with German privacy rules, the […]

Cyprus minister says his nation leads EU in repatriations and migrant arrivals are down sharply

December 21, 2023 Unlisted Author

(AP) Cyprus is the first European Union member country to repatriate more migrants whose asylum applications have been rejected than have arrived in a single year, the east Mediterranean island nation’s interior minister said Thursday. Constantinos Ioannou told the state broadcaster that […]

Germany: Ulm synagogue arson trial begins A 47-year-old man is on trial over what is thought to have been an antisemitic arson attack on the synagogue in the southern German city of Ulm in 2021.

December 21, 2023 Timothy Jones

(Deutsche Welle) A 47-year-old Turkish man who is alleged to have carried out an arson attack on a synagogue in Ulm more than two years ago went on trial at the district court in the southern city on Thursday. Prosecutors in the […]

Germany braces for potential New Year’s Eve riots Police have stepped up preparations to deal with violence against them and emergency service staff on New Year's Eve. There are worries that the situation in the Middle East could worsen the problem.

December 21, 2023 Unlisted Author

(Deutsche Welle) Germany’s Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said she fears a repeat of New Year rioting and attacks on emergency services in Berlin and other cities. “I’m worried that New Year’s Eve could once again be a day on which we are forced […]

Bolton man in court accused of distributing terrorist videos

December 21, 2023 Unlisted Author

(BBC) A man accused of distributing terrorist videos via messaging platform Telegram has appeared in court via videolink. Mohammed Hamasaleh, 24, from Bolton, has been charged with seven counts of disseminating terrorist publications between March 2022 and January 2023. These include using […]

‘The Wedding’: Iranian spy plot to kill two news presenters in London uncovered by double agent

December 20, 2023 Rohit Kachroo

(ITV) Iranian spies offered a people-smuggler $200,000 (around £158,290) to assassinate two news presenters codenamed “the bride and the groom” outside their London studio, to show critics of the regime they “could do harm to them at any time.” The organisers can […]

EU strikes ‘historic’ migration deal Negotiators work through the night to agree on the overhaul of the EU’s asylum procedures.

December 20, 2023 Nicolas Camut and Eddy Wax

(Politico) The European Union on Wednesday broke years of political deadlock by agreeing on a deal that will significantly change how the bloc limits migrant entry, moves migrants around EU countries and effectively makes it easier to deport unsuccessful asylum seeker applicants. […]

Man guilty of spying on London-based TV channel Iran International to help terror plotters Magomed-Husejn Dovtaev was accused of conducting surveillance on a media company that was critical of Iran. Asked why he had taken an interest in the building he told the court he was 'in wonder at the architecture.'

December 20, 2023 Unlisted Author

(Sky News) A Chechen-born man has been found guilty of spying on a London-based dissident Iranian TV station to help terror plotters. Magomed-Husejn Dovtaev, 31, was accused of conducting surveillance on the west London headquarters of Iran International as part of a […]

German police raid pro-Palestinian feminist group The raids were part of a probe into allegations that members of the group Zora were using emblems of the PFLP, which Israel, the EU and the US have designated a terrorist organization.

December 20, 2023 Unlisted Author

(Deutsche Welle) Police in Berlin, Germany’s capital, conducted on Wednesday a raid targeting members of a pro-Palestinian, left-wing feminist group, German media reported. The Zora group is accused of backing the radical, left-wing Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). The European […]

Morocco, Spain team up to arrest terror suspects in Nador, Melilla The arrests came less than a week after a similar joint Spanish-Moroccan counterterrorism operation.

December 19, 2023 Safaa Kasraoui

(Morocco World News) The Moroccan Central Bureau of Judicial Investigations (BCIJ) and Spanish authorities carried out a joint counterterrorism operation, during which several terror suspects were arrested in Nador, Morocco’s Oriental region, and in the Spanish enclave of Melilla. The BCIJ arrested […]

Hugo Micheron: ‘The jihad has shifted from terrorist cells to families’ The French political scientist, an expert in Islamist extremism, cautions against becoming complacent about terrorism in Europe

December 19, 2023 Marc Bassets

(El País) Hugo Micheron, one of the brightest in a long line of French Arabists, recently published La colère et l’oubli (Anger and oblivion, in French), a history of European jihadism in which he explores a landscape still marked by ignorance and […]

Italy court hands lifetime sentence to Pakistani parents in ‘honour killing’ case

December 19, 2023 Keith Weir

(Reuters) An Italian court sentenced two parents to lifetime imprisonment on Tuesday for killing their teenage daughter after she refused to travel to Pakistan for an arranged marriage. The so-called honour killing of 18-year-old Saman Abbas, who went missing in April 2021, […]

Swiss parliament supports proposal to ban Hamas

December 19, 2023 Unlisted Author

(Swiss Info) The House of Representatives has followed the Senate in supporting a government proposal to classify Hamas as a terrorist group. On Tuesday, the House of Representatives tacitly adopted a committee motion calling for the Islamist organisation to be declared a […]

Court in Germany convicts a man inspired by the Islamic State group of committing 2 knife attacks

December 19, 2023 Unlisted Author

(AP) A Syrian man described as radicalized was convicted of murder, attempted murder and bodily harm on Tuesday over two knife attacks in Germany this year, including an assault on visitors to a gym. The 27-year-old defendant, identified only as Maan D. […]

Cyprus says a joint operation with Mossad has foiled a suspected Iranian plot to kill Israelis

December 19, 2023 Menelaos Hadjicostis

(AP) Cyprus has disrupted an alleged Iranian plot to target Israeli businessmen with the arrest of two Iranian asylum-seekers who were in contact with another Iranian associated with the Revolutionary Guard, a Cypriot official said Tuesday. The official told the Associated Press […]

New poll registers strong support for Hamas among French Muslims

December 18, 2023 Ben Cohen

(Algemeiner) Almost half of French Muslims consider the Oct. 7 Hamas pogrom in southern Israel to have been “an act of resistance against colonization” while nearly one in five expressed sympathy for the atrocities, according to a new survey published on Monday […]

Algerian footballer on trial in France over Gaza post

December 18, 2023 Unlisted Author

(AFP) Algerian international footballer Youcef Atal went on trial in France Monday accused of inciting hatred after posting a video in which a Palestinian preacher purportedly threatens Israel with a “black day.” Atal, who plays for Ligue 1 side Nice, shared the […]

Danish prosecutors charge man for ‘public approval’ of Hamas terror attack

December 18, 2023 Unlisted Author

(Local) Danish prosecutors have charged a 26-year-old man for “publicly expressing approval of a terror crime,” in a case related to Hamas’ October attack on Israel, while announcing that they are dropping three other cases. The man made statements approving Hamas’ brutal […]

Revealed: Starmer led Euro court appeal for Islamist group Labour leader gave advice to Hizb ut-Tahrir after ban in Germany for antisemitic propaganda storm

December 16, 2023 Charlie Peters

(GB News) Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer gave legal advice to an Islamist group in its appeal over a ban in Germany, GB News can reveal. Starmer advised Hizb ut-Tahrir in 2008, five years after it was banned from conducting activities in […]

Morocco, Spain dismantle terrorist support network Spanish authorities arrested five people in four different provinces, according to Spanish police.

December 16, 2023 Oussama Aamari

(Morocco World News) Spanish police announced on Saturday that they dismantled a network that helped plan and finance the activities of ISIS members, in collaboration with Morocco’s General Directorate of Territorial Surveillance (DGST). Spanish authorities arrested five people in the provinces of […]

Germany deports Iraqi over ‘terror’ suspicion The 20-year-old was suspected of planning a 'terrorist attack' targeting a Christmas market in eastern Germany. He has been permanently banned from reentering the country.

December 16, 2023 Unlisted Author

(Deutsche Welle) A 20-year-old Iraqi has been deported back to his home country after German authorities suspected he was planning a “terrorist attack,” Germany’s Interior Ministry announced on Saturday. The Interior Ministry of the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt accused the unnamed man of […]

Hizb ut-Tahrir leader should be deported from UK, MP claims Abdul Wahid's 'right to be in this country should be cancelled,' says Conservative Bob Blackman

December 15, 2023 Unlisted Author

(Jewish News) One of the leaders of an Islamic political organisation involved in pro-Palestine protests should be deported from the UK, an MP has claimed. Conservative MP Bob Blackman called for Abdul Wahid, the chairman of the UK arm of Hizb ut-Tahrir, […]