We will destroy Europe ISIS Leader. So, Europe should be prepared for more of the ruthless and coordinated
attacks that ISIS carried out in Paris last year, officials say. The
militant group is planning more large-scale, “special forces-style”
assaults that don’t even necessarily need to be coordinated from Syria. That disturbing scenario was laid out in a report by (Europol) Europe’s law enforcement agency released Monday. The report, entitled “Changes in modus operandi of Islamic State
terrorist attacks,” paints a picture of a terror group whose methods
keeps evolving and whose threat is twofold: Coordinated attacks and lone
wolf operatives. The Paris attacks, and subsequent investigation, appear to indicate a
shift towards a broader strategy of (ISIS) going global, of them
specifically attacking France, but also the possibly of attacks against
other Member States of the EU in the near future,”
Intelligence also suggests that ISIS has developed a command
structure to plan and coordinate “special forces style” operations
abroad. This could mean that more Paris-style attacks are currently
being planned and prepared, the report says. In addition to training facilities in Syria, there is also smaller scale training camps in the EU and in Balkan countries.
ISIS-inspired attacks do not necessarily have to be coordinated from Syria.
“Central command in Syria is believed to map out a general strategy,
but leaves tactical freedom to local leaders to adapt their actions to
circumstances on the spot,” the report says. Operatives can choose their
targets based on capability and resources, which leaves room for
spontaneity and makes it hard for law enforcement to identify targets
and suspects. Recruitment into ISIS happens quickly, without necessarily requiring a
long radicalization process, the report says. The “romantic” prospect
of being part of something important and exciting may also play a role
in recruiting. Peer pressure has replaced some of the religious components of recruiting, the report says.
Younger recruits are more impressionable and radicalize quicker. Less
than half of all people arrested for joining ISIS or expressing an
intention to do so have relevant knowledge about their religion. This
makes them vulnerable to interpretations of the Koran that fit ISIS
logic, the report says.
Recruiters use survival training to test recruits’ fitness and
ability. “Sports activities have been used for combat and interrogation
resistance training,” the report says. A “significant” portion of foreign fighters were diagnosed with
mental problems prior to joining the terror group. However, the report
doesn’t specify how they know this and what types of mental issues
fighters may be suffering from. The report also says that a large
portion of recruits have criminal records.
There is no concrete evidence that terror groups (ISIS or otherwise)
are using the current refugee crisis to slip into Europe unnoticed.
Instead, the report says that there’s a more “real and imminent” danger
that members of the refugee population will become vulnerable to
radicalization once in Europe, and that they’re being specifically
targeted by terror recruiters. ISIS has taken advantage of the availability of secure and encrypted
communication methods such as WhatsApp, Skype and Viber for
communication and to procure goods and services such as weapons and fake
IDs. Travel costs, car rentals, safe houses and weapons require
considerable sums of money, the report says. However, there is no
evidence of ISIS -financing networks in the region. The report warns that Al Qaeda is still a “factor” in the region and a
reason for the EU to focus broadly on religiously inspired groups. A separate report charges that Al Qaeda’s Syrian affiliate, Jabhat
al-Nusra, is a greater threat to the United States in the long term than
is ISIS, making the United States’ current single-minded focus on the
latter group misguided. Please like, follow and share!