North Macedonia – Eye on Islamism

Austrian authorities warn of ‘high-risk’ Islamist threat after another thwarted attack FPÖ says the planned attack by a 14-year-old radicalized on the internet was 'the direct result of the failed integration policy and the open borders that open the door to radical Islamists.'

February 20, 2025 Zoltán Kottász

(European Conservative) Austria is facing “high-risk threats” of Islamist terrorism, according to the head of the Central European country’s domestic intelligence agency, who spoke after yet another terrorist attack, this time targeting a railway station, was thwarted. Austrian authorities announced on Wednesday, […]

Albania to create a Vatican-style, Bektashi state in Tirana

January 25, 2025 Fatos Bytyci and Florion Goga

(Reuters) Albania will create a sovereign Muslim state in Tirana for the Bektashi religious order, along the lines of the Vatican in Rome, to preserve and promote religious tolerance, Prime Minister Edi Rama said on Saturday. If created, the enclave for the […]

Four arrested in North Macedonia, suspected of links to ISIS

January 24, 2025 Unlisted Author

(Koha Ditore) Four people suspected of links to the terrorist organization ISIS were arrested in North Macedonia on Friday. Police have conducted searches at five locations in Skopje and Gostivar and suspicions are that the terrorist cell was ideologically linked to ISIS. […]

N. Macedonia officials say foiled terror plot

December 16, 2024 Unlisted Author

(AFP) Four people arrested over the weekend had been inspired by the Islamic State and were planning to carry out a “terrorist attack” targeting civilians, North Macedonia prosecutors said Monday. The four were detained in separate raids across the country on Sunday […]

Four men arrested in North Macedonia during anti-terror operation, interior minister says

December 15, 2024 Unlisted Author

(AP) Four men suspected of planning terrorist attacks were arrested Sunday in western North Macedonia, authorities said. Interior Minister Panche Toshkovski said the arrests were made during raids on several locations in the western towns of Struga and Gostivar. The four men […]

Austria’s rightward shift puts immigration in crosshairs

September 30, 2024 Louis van Boxel-Woolf

(Reuters) Picknicking with friends in the park after prayers at a Vienna mosque, Saima Arab, a 20-year-old pedicurist originally from Afghanistan, is thankful for her freedoms in Austria. “We could never do this in Afghanistan, never cook, go out, just sit in […]

Albania is planning a new Muslim state inside its capital Prime Minister Edi Rama says he wants to give members of the Bektashi, a Shiite Sufi order, their own Vatican-style enclave as a way of promoting religious tolerance.

September 21, 2024 Andrew Higgins

(NY Times) The Muslim cleric preparing to lead what, if everything goes as planned, will become the world’s smallest state, has laid-back plans for the tiny new country. His hoped-for Muslim state in Tirana, Albania’s capital, will be a Vatican-style sovereign enclave […]

Germany and Europe are once again ‘Islamic State’ targets The Solingen knife attack has sparked renewed concerns about 'Islamic State' targeting Germany and Europe. Experts warn of a new wave of IS-linked violence driven by Middle East conflicts.

August 27, 2024 Christoph Hasselbach

(Deutsche Welle) The so-called “Islamic State” (IS) extremist group has claimed responsibility for the knife attack in Solingen. According to Amaq, the mouthpiece of IS, the attack was carried out in “revenge for Muslims in Palestine and elsewhere” and targeted a “group […]

How the Taylor Swift teenage ISIS plotters slipped through Vienna’s security cracks Rise of extremist youths linked to bomb plot tests Austria's tough anti-terrorism policies

August 23, 2024 Tim Stickings

(National-UAE) When a phone rings at a former screw factory in Vienna’s old Jewish quarter, it could be a confused teenager, a hapless teacher — or a chance to stop a terrorist. Austria’s extremism hotline fields hundreds of calls a year from […]

Germany: Islamist terror poses ‘persistently high’ risk German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser has warned that Germany remains a target for Islamist terrorists. Her comments follow the cancellation of three Austrian concerts by US pop star Taylor Swift.

August 12, 2024 Unlisted Author

(Deutsche Welle) German security officials on Monday said the threat of Islamist terrorism in the country remains high, with several groups seeking to radicalize recruits amid turmoil in the Middle East. Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said German intelligence services were in “very […]

Main suspect in Taylor Swift concert plot denies involvement

August 11, 2024 Unlisted Author

(DPA) The main suspect in the planned attacks on Taylor Swift concerts in Vienna is denying involvement in the plot, the Austrian news agency APA reported on Sunday. The 19-year-old suspect said through his lawyer that he is not a supporter of […]

Town at centre of teenage Taylor Swift plot stunned by online radicalization

August 9, 2024 Dave Graham

(Reuters) The teenager who Austrian authorities say planned to unleash a “bloodbath” at a Taylor Swift concert in Vienna this week only recently showed hints of being radicalized on the internet into committing acts of violence, according to people who knew him. […]

Serbian police say some 3,400 migrants, weapons, ammunition found in week-long raids

November 3, 2023 Unlisted Author

(AP) Serbian police said Friday they have found some 3,400 migrants and seized weapons and ammunition during a days-long crackdown on irregular migration in the wake of a shooting last week near the border with Hungary that killed three migrants and wounded […]

Hundreds of Serbian police deploy in border zone with Hungary after deadly shooting among migrants

October 28, 2023 Unlisted Author

(AP) Hundreds of Serbian officers were dispatched Saturday into a border area with Hungary, where they detained several people after a shooting between migrants killed three people and injured one, police said. Reports of violence and gun battles have become common near […]

North Macedonia: Migrant fatally shot during border scuffle

April 19, 2023 Unlisted Author

(AP) A migrant woman was accidentally shot and killed by police in North Macedonia during a struggle that broke out Wednesday as an officer tried to arrest a suspected smuggler, authorities said. The fatal shooting occurred during an inspection of two vehicles […]

North Macedonia: 3 migrants and suspected smuggler injured

March 12, 2023 Konstantin Testorides

(AP) Three migrants and a suspected smuggler were seriously injured in North Macedonia when a car that police were pursuing overturned early Sunday, authorities said. Police said the car was carrying 11 migrants, five from Pakistan, three from India and three from […]

Vienna murders: Four guilty of helping jihadist in terror attack

February 2, 2023 Bethany Bell and Paul Kirby

(BBC) Four men have been given long jail sentences for being accomplices to murder in a deadly terror attack by a lone jihadist gunman in the heart of Austria’s capital in November 2020. Kujtim Fejzulai went on the rampage in Vienna’s busy […]

Vienna terrorist slipped through net after seeking AK-47 bullets Prosecutors were not alerted to activities of ISIS supporter Kujtim Fejzulai, who killed four people

January 10, 2023 Tim Stickings

(National-UAE) Austrian intelligence agents should have raised the alarm about a known ISIS supporter before he killed four people in a 2020 terrorist attack in Vienna, an inquiry has found. A counter-terrorism team failed to pass on evidence that Kujtim Fejzulai was […]

Serbia police detain 2 wanted men in migrant crackdown

December 29, 2022 Unlisted Author

(AP) Serbian police said Thursday they have detained two people sought on international warrants during a raid to locate migrants and people smugglers near the border with Hungary. Police said in a statement that the two are wanted for “various criminal acts.” […]

Austrian police announce arrests in connection to the Linz Halloween riots

December 27, 2022 Unlisted Author

(Local) After 129 interrogations, police in Austria identified three “leaders” responsible for the protests and violence in the city of Linz over Halloween — there were threats of further riots on New Year’s Eve. On Tuesday morning, the Upper Austrian police and […]

9 arrested in North Macedonia for migrant smuggling

December 21, 2022 Unlisted Author

(AP) Police in North Macedonia said Wednesday they had arrested nine people, including a police officer, on suspicion of smuggling dozens of migrants through the country. The nine, who are all Macedonian nationals and include two minors, were arrested during raids on […]

Serb police: Man shot in border town clash between migrants

November 25, 2022 Unlisted Author

(AP) One man was shot and wounded and a number of others were detained following reports of a clash between migrants in a northern Serbian town on the border with Hungary, police said on Friday. Police said they found a 20-year-old man […]

Austria, Hungary, Serbia hold top-level meeting on migration

November 16, 2022 Jovana Gec

(AP) Austria, Hungary and Serbia on Wednesday held another top-level meeting dedicated to curbing migration, including by sending more than 100 police officers, vehicles equipped with night vision cameras and drones to the border with North Macedonia. Austria and Hungary also pledged […]

Six accused of assisting deadly Vienna attack go on trial

October 18, 2022 Francois Murphy

(Reuters) The trial of six men accused of assisting a jihadist who went on a deadly shooting rampage in Vienna two years ago opened on Tuesday, as lawyers for the men denied they knew what the gunman was planning. The 20-year-old attacker, […]

26 Syrians detained in North Macedonia near Greek border

October 13, 2022 Unlisted Author

(AP) Police in North Macedonia said Thursday that 26 migrants, who had been crammed into two cars driven by suspected smugglers, have been detained near the southern border with Greece. A police statement said the cars were near the town of Valandovo […]

North Macedonia: Police find 44 migrants crammed into truck

October 11, 2022 Unlisted Author

(AP) Police in North Macedonia have detained 44 Syrian migrants, including 14 minors, found carefully hidden in a truck near the southern border with Greece, authorities said Tuesday. The truck driver was arrested on suspicion of belonging to a migrant-smuggling ring. A […]

Austria, Hungary equipping Serbia to curb border crossings

October 6, 2022 Jovana Gec

(AP) Austria and Hungary will help Serbia curb migrant crossings at its southern border, Hungary’s foreign minister said Thursday, citing an “explosion” in the number of people entering European countries without authorization in recent months. Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said Hungary […]

6 men face trial over links to gunman in 2020 Vienna attack

September 19, 2022 Unlisted Author

(AP) Six men with alleged links to a sympathizer of the Islamic State group who carried out a deadly shooting in Vienna in 2020 will go on trial next month, a court in the Austrian capital said Monday. Four people were killed […]

North Macedonia detains 142 migrants near border

September 15, 2022 Unlisted Author

(AP) A group of 142 migrants was detained near North Macedonia’s southern border with Greece early Thursday, authorities said. A police statement said the detainees were mostly from Syria and Pakistan, and had entered from Greece. They were taken to a shelter […]

Swiss police nab 2 suspected of ties to Islamic State group

September 1, 2022 Unlisted Author

(AP) Swiss police arrested two people Thursday in connection with a federal investigation into their suspected support for, or participation in, the banned Islamic State group, authorities said. The police operation, which also involved searches of four houses in the Geneva and […]

Bulgarian police detain 141 Afghan migrants near Burgas

August 28, 2022 Unlisted Author

(Radio Free Europe) Bulgarian authorities said police detained 141 migrants attempting to enter the country without permission, all of them believed to be men originating in Afghanistan. Police on August 28 said they would boost security along the Eastern European EU nation’s […]

Police in North Macedonia detain 26 migrants hidden in van

August 23, 2022 Unlisted Author

(AP) Police in North Macedonia have detained 26 migrants thought to have entered illegally from neighboring Greece, and arrested a suspected smuggler who had been driving them in a van toward the northern border with Serbia. A police statement said the migrants […]

N. Macedonia: Truck full of migrants overturns; 35 injured

August 11, 2022 Unlisted Author

(AP) A truck carrying Syrian migrants believed to have entered from neighboring Greece overturned on a road in North Macedonia, injuring 35 people, police said Thursday. A police statement said 49 people were in the heavy vehicle during the crash late Wednesday […]

German envoy says EU rights must be defended at Greek border

July 28, 2022 Unlisted Author

(AP) Germany’s top diplomat visited refugees at a camp in Greece on Thursday after stressing that European Union countries should do more to safeguard people seeking refuge from war and hardship. German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock visited a Holocaust memorial in Athens […]

N. Macedonia: Police find 86 migrants, arrest truck driver

July 24, 2022 Unlisted Author

(AP) Police in North Macedonia have found 86 migrants, including minors, crammed into a truck with an attached trailer in the southern part of the country and arrested the truck driver. The migrants from Pakistan, Syria and India were discovered late Saturday […]

North Macedonia: Police find 87 migrants, arrest two men

July 9, 2022 Unlisted Author

(AP) Police in North Macedonia say they have discovered 87 migrants crammed into a truck with a trailer in the southern part of the country and arrested two men for migrant smuggling. Police said the migrants, who included 45 Syrians, 39 Pakistanis, […]

North Macedonia: Police find 24 migrants, arrest 2 locals

June 26, 2022 Unlisted Author

(AP) Police in North Macedonia say they discovered 24 migrants hiding in a van on a major highway in the country’s south Sunday and arrested two men as suspected people smugglers. The two Macedonian nationals, 50 and 47 years old, were identified […]

Police find 18 migrants in North Macedonia, nab car driver

April 25, 2022 Unlisted Author

(AP) Police in North Macedonia say a patrol discovered 18 migrants in the south of the country and arrested the driver after a brief chase. A police statement released Monday said the 18 migrants, 14 Syrians and 4 Pakistanis, were discovered late […]

Greece: 2 arrested from sailboat in distress with 70 aboard

April 5, 2022 Unlisted Author

(AP) Two people were arrested on suspicion of migrant smuggling and endangering lives for steering a sailboat carrying 68 others that ran into trouble off Greece’s western coast last week, the coast guard said Tuesday. The coast guard said the two — […]

North Macedonia: 4 charged for torturing fellow migrants

November 21, 2021 Konstantin Testorides

(AP) Two Pakistanis and two Afghan minors have been arrested and charged for detaining fellow migrants in a makeshift camp at North Macedonia’s border with Serbia and torturing them, authorities said Sunday. North Macedonia’s public prosecutor’s office said the suspects had set […]

North Macedonia police find 42 migrants packed in a truck

November 7, 2021 Konstantin Testorides

(AP) Police in North Macedonia say they have discovered 42 migrants in a truck in the southeastern part of the country near the border with Greece. A police patrol car followed the truck Saturday near the town of Star Dojran, 160 kilometers […]

Cold shouldered in Greece, migrants try to escape

October 26, 2021 Vassilis Kyriakoulis

(AFP) Pakistani asylum seeker Mohamed Bilal was 15 when he arrived in Greece. Five years later, he’s lost all hope and is on the road again, desperate for a better life elsewhere. Since the conservative government took office in 2019, Greece has […]

North Macedonia repatriates 4 IS fighters and their families

July 18, 2021 Konstantin Testorides

(AP) Four suspected former Islamic State group fighters and their families have been successfully repatriated to North Macedonia, the government said Sunday. [The] government said the 23-member group, including five women and 14 children, has been transferred from Syria and Iraq to […]

North Macedonia: Clashes at protest over terror convictions

February 26, 2021 Unlisted Author

(AP) Protesters clashed with police in North Macedonia’s capital Friday after a court this week upheld the terrorism-related convictions of ethnic Albanian men accused of killings nine years ago that inflamed ethnic tensions in the Balkan country. At least seven policemen were […]

N Macedonia: 8 charged with creating terrorist organization

December 28, 2020 Unlisted Author

(AP) Police in North Macedonia said Monday that eight men have been arrested on suspicion of planning terrorist attacks in the country and officers have seized a large quantity of weapons. Police said the men were arrested late Sunday and are between […]

Austria police raid dozens of ‘Islamist-linked’ targets

November 9, 2020 Jastinder Khera

(AFP) Austrian police on Monday raided more than 60 addresses allegedly linked to radical Islamists and seized millions of euros in cash, with orders for 30 suspects to be questioned. The operation came a week after a convicted Islamic State group supporter […]

Austria’s Muslims wary of backlash after attack

November 7, 2020 Denise Hruby

(AFP) When Osama Abu El Hosna found himself under a hail of bullets during the shooting rampage in Vienna, he heroically risked his life to save a policeman at the scene. But while Hosna has been lauded for his courage, other Muslims […]

Vienna anti-terror chief suspended after attack failures

November 6, 2020 Jastinder Khera

(AFP) The head of anti-terror operations in the Austrian capital Vienna was suspended Friday as details emerged of further security lapses in the run-up to this week’s jihadist attack which left four people dead. Erich Zwettler, the head of Vienna’s anti-terror agency, […]

Eight detained after Vienna attack had previous convictions

November 5, 2020 Denise Hruby

(AFP) Eight of those detained following Monday night’s terrorist attack in Vienna had previous convictions, including for terror offences, the Austrian interior minister said Thursday, as the investigation extended to Switzerland and a second, unnamed country. In the wake of the attack […]

Jewish community in Vienna on alert after attack

November 4, 2020 Daphne Rousseau

(AFP) Shalom Berntholz never closes his kosher restaurant in central Vienna, but as a new coronavirus-induced lockdown approached, he decided to shut early. That saved his life. A gunman who supported the Islamic State (IS) group kicked off his shooting rampage on […]