Paul Van Tigchelt – Eye on Islamism

Europe turning blind eye to Hamas and Hezbollah networks in its territory, experts say Analysts say terror groups operate largely unchecked, running charities, lobbying public opinion and recruiting supporters — and the legal means to stop them are scant

April 12, 2024 Gianluca Pacchiani

(Times of Israel) A stash of weapons was found hidden under a pine tree in southern Bulgaria last week. The arms were linked to four suspected Hamas members arrested in Germany and the Netherlands in December on suspicion of preparing an attack […]

‘Hamas is operating in Belgium, but we can’t do anything about it’ — interview ‘It’s something that I’ve never heard before, and it’s a disgrace’ — opposition MP Michael Freilich.

February 13, 2024 Ohad Merlin

(Jerusalem Post) MP Michael Freilich from the opposition New Flemish Alliance party recounted his astonishment at the response of Justice Minister Paul Van Tigchelt, who openly admitted as a response to his inquiry that there indeed are groups who operate in Belgium […]

Man suspected of planning terrorist attack against Jewish institutions arrested in Antwerp

January 14, 2024 Yossi Lempkowicz

(European Jewish Press) A 19-year-old Antwerp man suspected of planning an attack on a Jewish institution was arrested on Saturday, Antwerp public prosecutors said on Sunday evening. “He is suspected of illegal possession of weapons and preparation of a terrorist attack,” the […]

‘Wary of copycats’: One month after Brussels terror attack, Belgium maintains threat level 3

November 22, 2023 Maïthé Chini

(Brussels Times) Over a month after two Swedish citizens were killed during a terror attack in Brussels, Belgium will maintain terrorist threat level 3 for now, Prime Minister Alexander De Croo announced during a press conference on Wednesday afternoon. Belgium’s Coordination Body […]

Why Belgium is still a terror risk

March 28, 2022 Unlisted Author

(Brussels Times) Six years ago, it felt like extremist terrorism would haunt us permanently. The March 2016 bombs in the Brussels metro and airport left 35 people dead. They came after the November 2015 attacks in Paris that killed 138. Jihadists claimed […]

Two Belgian Islamic State militants escape camp in north Syria: Belgium

October 16, 2019 Philip Blenkinsop

(Reuters) Two Islamic State militants from Belgium have escaped custody in northern Syria in the course of Turkey’s offensive against Kurdish forces there, the head of Belgium’s security assessment agency said on Wednesday. Paul Van Tigchelt, head of OCAD, told a parliamentary […]

Three out of four returning fighters no longer pose a threat

January 15, 2019 Christopher Vincent

(Brussels Times) Out of 100 foreign fighters who have returned to Belgium from Syria, the Organ for Coordination of Threat Analysis (known as “OCAM”) believes that only one-quarter still present a serious terrorist threat. The finding is reported in the daily Het […]