BRUSSELS, Belgium
Europe faces a “huge risk of
terrorist attacks" over the Christmas holiday period due to the fallout
from the war between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas, the
European Union's home affairs commissioner warned Tuesday.EU for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson addresses warns that the Israel-Hamas war is polarizing society in many countires and increasing the possibility of terrorist attacks.
Europe faces a “huge risk of
terrorist attacks" over the Christmas holiday period due to the fallout
from the war between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas, the
European Union's home affairs commissioner warned Tuesday.
The warning came as French
investigators probe a fatal weekend attack near the Eiffel Tower in Paris.
Questions were raised about the mental health of the suspect, who swore
allegiance to the extremist Islamic State group before stabbing a
German-Filipino tourist to death and injuring two other people with a hammer.
"With the war between
Israel and Hamas, and the polarization it causes in our society, with the
upcoming holiday season, there is a huge risk of terrorist attacks in the
European Union," EU Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson told reporters.
"We saw (it happening)
recently in Paris, unfortunately we have seen it earlier as well," she
said, as EU interior ministers gathered in Brussels. She provided no details
about any information that might have led to her warning. Her office did not
immediately respond to requests for details.
The fallout from Hamas’
attacks in southern Israel on October 7, which killed about 1,200 people, and
the ongoing Israeli military response that health officials in Gaza say has
killed at least 15,890 Palestinians, has spread to Europe.
In several European capitals
in recent weeks, tens of thousands of people have staged pro-Palestinian
rallies and also marched in support of Israel and against rising antisemitism.
Johansson, whose brief
includes security and immigration, said the European Commission will provide an
additional 30 million euros ($32.5 million) to bolster security in vulnerable
areas, notably places of worship.
German Interior Minister Nancy
Faeser sent her condolences to France over the weekend attack and said it
highlights “just how acute and how serious the threat posed by Islamist
terrorism is currently in the EU.”
“The war in Gaza and Hamas’
terror are exacerbating this situation,” she told reporters.
Faeser said she had spoken
with her counterparts from Austria, Belgium, France, Spain and Sweden about the
risks.
“Our security agencies are
working very closely together. We must keep a particularly close eye on the
Islamist threats right now and take action against Islamist propaganda together
with neighboring countries,” she said.
No comments:
Post a Comment