The focus of the activities of the extremist organization Isis has shifted from conflict areas to Europe.
Päivi Suikkanen,
I guess Jaskari
The number of people capable of jihadist activity has increased in Sweden in recent years. About 300 people have returned to the country from the conflict areas of Syria and Iraq, some of whom have combat experience and training and enhanced skills to use violence.
This is the opinion of a researcher of jihadism Juha Saarinen.
– When Isis started its rise to the stage of international politics, there were about 200 people connected to the phenomenon in Sweden. At the moment, the number is around 2,000. We are talking about a much more significant problem in terms of quantity and quality, says Saarinen.
Saarinen, who visited A-studio on Tuesday, reminds that the risk of various acts of terrorism in other parts of Europe is greater than it was two decades ago.
– As a result of the Syrian civil war, the ISIS caliphate project, there is a much larger number of people in Europe who promote this phenomenon. They are more networked with each other and with armed groups operating in the conflict zone.
According to the researcher, the extremist organization Isis has not been able to be eliminated and it operates in several conflict areas. The focus of operations has shifted to Europe.
– The key question is what the activists, networks and communities staying in Europe are doing and what kind of activity they are trying to achieve. It may be that instead of individual acts, we will see a spike in violent attacks and attack plans, Saarinen noted.
Belgium is investigating the shooting of two Swedish football fans. A man of Tunisian background suspected of the attack was a supporter of the extremist organization Isis.
Belgian authorities are investigating the shooting of the Swedes as an act of terrorism. According to the authorities, the shooter deliberately chose Swedes as his target. The man died from bullets fired by the police.
Prime Minister of Sweden Ulf Kristersson estimated on Tuesday that Swedes are now under threat simply because they are Swedish. The Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs has urged Swedes abroad to be more careful than usual.
Watch Tuesday’s A-studio at Areena.