Europol considers the level of terrorist threat in the European Union to be high, warning that the war in the Middle East could intensify processes of radicalization, cyberattacks and disinformation campaigns in Europe.
Europol warned this Friday that the level of terrorist threat and violent extremism on EU territory is currently considered high, due to the war in the Middle East, and warned that the risk of cyber attacks is also expected to increase.
In a written response sent to the Lusa agency, a Europol spokesperson indicates that the war in the Middle East “has immediate repercussions on serious and organized crime and terrorism in the European Union (EU)”.
“The level of terrorist threat and violent extremism on EU territory is considered high. This can manifest itself through internal radicalization by isolated individuals or small self-organized cells”, says the spokesperson for the EU Agency for Police Cooperation.
Europol warns that “the rapid online dissemination of polarizing content may accelerate radicalization processes in the short term” among members of diasporas currently residing on European soil.
“Iran’s allied groups (‘proxies’) may also engage in destabilizing activities in the EU”, states Europol, referring in particular to the so-called “Axis of Iranian Resistance”, made up of groups such as Hezbollah, Hamas or the Huthis, or “criminal networks acting under the direction of Iranian security institutions”.
“Its operations may include terrorist attacks, intimidation campaigns and terrorist financing, as well as cyberattacks, disinformation or online fraud schemes,” the agency states.
In addition to the threat of terrorism, Europol also states that “the risk of cyberattacks targeting Western infrastructure and companies may also increase if the conflict continues”.
“Criminal and terrorist networks will take advantage of the more intense information context to develop fraud and disinformation using artificial intelligence. The most likely targets in the EU include locations linked to the conflict, such as diplomatic installations, vulnerable targets or public or critical infrastructure”, he indicates.
The agency says, however, that so far “there is no direct impact on an increase in immigrant trafficking.”
This Tuesday, at a press conference in Brussels, the European Commissioner for Home Affairs, Magnus Brunner, was asked how the EU intends to respond to a possible increase in terrorist threats on the continent, having replied that the European Commission’s first priority is to guarantee the security of its citizens.
“We are doing several things, such as ensuring robust border controls, which were recently reinforced with our Schengen information system, a common EU database in which member states can create alerts for cases related to terrorism”, he said.
The European Commissioner also indicated that the EU’s new entry and exit system, which has been gradually implemented since October and is expected to be fully operational in April, is also yielding results.
“It has already allowed us to detain 500 people considered a threat to the European Union. So I think we are on the right track, but, of course, remaining vigilant is always important,” he said.
On February 28, the United States and Israel launched a military attack against Iran, killing Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the country’s supreme leader since 1989, during the offensive.
Since the beginning of the conflict, more than a thousand deaths have been recorded, most of them Iranians.
