Several Western European countries are on alert following the series of attacks claimed by the Islamic State on the continent since October 2023. Experts are concerned, since two thirds of those arrested for these crimes are teenagers.
Three dead and four seriously injured. This was the result of an attack in the city of Solingen, Germany, after a member of the Islamic State (IS) He sneaked into a market square in the western city with a knife, where the place’s anniversary was being celebrated.
It was 9:45 p.m. at Fronhof, a busy square in Solingen, when among the celebrants, he terrorist attacked several people.
“It was terrorism, terrorism against all of us” he said insistently Olaf Scholz, German Chancellor during a press briefing. “We will have to do everything possible to ensure that those who cannot and are not allowed to stay in Germany are repatriated and deported.”
Although German authorities were initially unsure whether the killer was a member of the Islamic State, the militia claimed responsibility for the attack. Through Amak, the information channel used by the Islamic State, they stated: The author acted “to take revenge on the Muslims of Palestine and elsewhere.”
Their aim was to assassinate “a group of Christians.”
With this attack, analysts are warning about when and where the next ISIS attack will take place, since everything indicates that Europe is their fixed target.
Why there could be more Islamic State attacks in Europe
After the deadly attack in Solingen, Germany, Authorities and experts predict that attacks in Europe will continue over time.
As Thomas Mücke of the Violence Prevention Network said: Deutsche Welle , “Extremists are using the current conflict in the Middle East as a mobilization issue.” And, in claiming responsibility for the attack, the Islamic State (IS) said it was “revenge for Muslims in Palestine and elsewhere.”
In fact, the expert assured that Since October 7, 2023, attacks and attempted attacks in Western Europe have “quadrupled.” Since then, seven attacks and 21 attempted or planned attacks have taken place in Western Europe.
For example, Just three weeks ago, Brussels claimed to have prevented a serious attack at a concert in the city, after arresting four people. Among them, three were minors. The police stressed that they had been on alert 3 out of 4, since October 2023, when a lone Islamist murdered two Swedish citizens.
In addition, following the attack on the Crocus City Hall concert hall in Moscow, Russia, which left at least 137 dead and dozens seriously injured, Countries like France have preferred to announce the maximum alert level “as a precaution” according to Emmanuel Macron, French President.
Experts believe that Thanks to these security measures that countries have put in place, massive events such as the European Cup in Germany or the Olympic Games in Paris have taken place peacefully.
But at the same time, in early August in Vienna, Austria, Singer Taylor Swift’s concerts had to be cancelled after authorities arrested two suspected ISIS sympathisers who were planning to “commit suicide and kill a large number of people”.
For Mücke, each of these attacks or attempted attacks is predictable, because “ISIS has defined Western Europe as a target for attacks, naturally with the aim of sowing terror and fear and dividing society in order to recruit even more people for its purposes.”
This, according to the expert, is more evident when looking at the historical attacks of the last decade in Europe: for example, the multiple attacks that occurred in Paris at the end of 2015 that left 130 dead, or when a member of ISIS killed 12 people with a truck at a Christmas market in Berlin in 2016.
For 10 years, militias have been calling for the killing of all “infidels” in Europe and throughout the West via the Internet. Mücke even said that on the web “there are precise descriptions of how attacks can be carried out, for example using cars to kill ‘infidels’ everywhere.”
Furthermore, the expert assured that The perpetrators of the attacks are increasingly younger, indicating that ISIS is fulfilling its goal of recruiting more members to its militias: according to DW, Two-thirds of those arrested in Western Europe for this type of crime are just teenagers.
“The Internet plays a vital role in radicalization and mobilization, including recruitment.”
And Mücke is not very optimistic about the future: for him, The intensification of conflicts in the Middle East “will influence the dynamics of terror in the years to come.”
Although some governments, such as Germany, are proposing measures such as banning knives in certain areas, some experts who spoke with DW They don’t believe they are effective.
For Mücke, a more feasible alternative could be the timely counseling and detection of such radical members: “Calls to the advice lines have been increasing since October 7. We are receiving clues and can try to interrupt the radicalization processes that begin relatively early.”
“First of all, I expect that people who become radicalized will change and that those around them will become aware of this. And it is important that these changes are communicated as quickly as possible, “People should seek help and support, because every extremist movement tries to attract and recruit especially the younger generation, who are the ones who continue.”
“And that’s where we still have more opportunities to end extremism and terrorism.
Source: Latercera
I am David Jack and I have been working in the news industry for over 10 years. As an experienced journalist, I specialize in covering sports news with a focus on golf. My articles have been published by some of the most respected publications in the world including The New York Times and Sports Illustrated.
