EU official calls ‘high’ risk of terrorist attacks in Europe due to the Gaza war

The war in Gaza and the polarization it is causing internationally create a “huge” risk of terrorist attacks in the European Union during the December holidays, Ylva Johansson, The bloc’s Interior Commissioner said this on Tuesday.

The warning reflected how in Europe, which has been shaken by terrorist attacks in recent years, anger over Hamas’ Oct. 7 massacre in Israel and the Israeli army’s increasingly deadly retaliation in Gaza have created new risks.

Ms Johansson did not mention any specific threats but mentioned a stabbing on Saturday in Paris in which a German tourist was killed by a man who French authorities said had psychiatric disorders and was appalled by the deaths of Muslims, including in Gaza.

Ms Johansson said the European Union would make an additional €30 million available for protection against terrorist threats, including for places of worship.

A European Commission official, who requested anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly on the matter, said the warning was prompted by the spread of terror-related material online, by recent attacks or attempted attacks in European countries and by the decisions from several EU countries. countries to raise their terrorism alert level. The official added that authorities are monitoring both anti-Semitic and anti-Muslim violence because of the war.

In October, a 6-year-old Muslim boy was stabbed to death outside Chicago in an attack that authorities called a hate crime linked to the war in Gaza.

In a report published before the war in Gaza began in October, Europol, the European police agency, said that terrorism remained a serious threat in Europe and that member states considered jihadist terrorism as the most prominent threat. White extremists have also carried out attacks in Europe in recent years.

Events during the Christmas holidays where large groups gather have been targeted, such as in Berlin in 2016, when 12 people were killed in a terrorist attack on a Christmas market.

Bibi van Ginkel, an expert at the International Center for Counter-Terrorism in the Netherlands, said tensions were rising because of the war in Gaza, which she said could have a trigger effect on people who already sympathized with the extremist ideology.

“The events can suddenly make them feel that they have a duty to act and a right to act.”