cfc thematic report - europe’s challenge: the return of the foreign fighters, 19 november 2013

8/13/2019 CFC Thematic Report - Europes Challenge: The Return of the Foreign Fighters, 19 November 2013

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This report considers the presence of transnational volunteers, otherwise known as foreign fighters, in the Syrian conflict andthe security implications of returning radicalised fighters to home countries. Additionally the report briefly reviews the uniquechallenges European countries face regarding domestic terrorism attacks. Related information is available atwww.cimicweb.org. Hyperlinks to source material are highlighted in blue and underlined in the text

Introduction

Rebel fighters battling the Syrian regime of President Bashar al Assad now number between 100,000 and120,000, according to defence consultancy IH S Janes and Aram Nerguizian , a senior fellow at the Center forStrategic and International Studies (CSIS). Nearly fifty to sixty thousand are considered to be jihadist and hard-line Islamists intent on establishing an Islamic state upon the ousting of the Assad government, reports The Telegraph .Of that fifty per cent, approximately 10,000 fighters, including foreign fighting elements, are considered to be

jihadist 1 .

While the US and its allies continue to fund the rebel Free Syrian Army, many observers warn that the growingpresence of jihadist and militants from beyond Syria is creating a dangerous new conflict within the Syrian civilwar, according to Christian Science Monitor (CSM). The increasing number of radicalised young Muslims travellingto Syria to fight against the regime has raised Western concerns over what might occur once those fighters returnhome , according to Bloomberg. Matthew Olsen, director of the US National Counterterrorism Center says that theSyrian war is providing both a rallying point and a training ground for radical Islamists from other nations.Richard Barrett, former coordinator of the UN al Qaeda Taliban Monitoring Team, says the risks of returning

jihadists are real, while acknowledging that not all those retuning home will be inclined to engage in terrorist

activity.

Europol reports that terrorist attacksand related arrests in the EuropeanUnion (EU) significantly increased in2012 compared to pr evious years. Itsfindings lend credibility to concernsthat terrorism threats remain strongand varied throughout Europe. In2011, there were 174 reportedterrorist attacks in EU member states.In 2012, 219 terrorist attacks weredocumented (Figure 1.) . Terrorist bombattacks at Burgas airport in Bulgariaand shootings by a lone gunman inFrance claimed the lives of fourteenpeople in 2012 2 . Separate attacks in Belgium, France and Northern Ireland killed three others. Director of EuropolRob Wainwright says, [t]h ere is growing concern about the threat posed by [foreign fighters] given the possibilityof their returning to the European Union intent on committing acts of terrorism.

1 Charles Lister from IHS Janes offers variations in these numbers. In August 2013, Lister indicated that al Qaeda-linked jihadist fighters suchas those associated with Jabhat al Nusra (JAN) and the Islamic State of Iraq and al Sham (ISIS) numbered 12,000. Lister also indicates thatthe larger and more powerful rebel group Ahrar al Sham has approximately 15,000 to 25,000 fighters and is also strongly Islamist. 2 According to the Europol report, there were no terrorism related deaths in 2011 .

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Comprehensive Information on Complex Issues

Linda Lavender

Complex Coverage Desk [email protected]

Europes Challenge: The Return of the Foreign Fighters

C I V I L - M I L I T A R Y F U S I O N C E N T R E

M E D I T E R R A N E A N B A S I N T E A M P R E S E N T S

Source: Europol

0 100 200 300 400 500 600

Terrorist attacks

Individuals arrested

Deaths

Figure 1: 2013 EU Terrorism Situation and Trend Report2012

2011
http://www.cimicweb.org/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/10311007/Syria-nearly-half-rebel-fighters-are-jihadists-or-hardline-Islamists-says-IHS-Janes-report.htmlhttp://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/10311007/Syria-nearly-half-rebel-fighters-are-jihadists-or-hardline-Islamists-says-IHS-Janes-report.htmlhttp://www.voanews.com/content/hezbollah-forces-help-syrian-regime-take-key-objectives/1776905.htmlhttp://www.voanews.com/content/hezbollah-forces-help-syrian-regime-take-key-objectives/1776905.htmlhttp://www.voanews.com/content/hezbollah-forces-help-syrian-regime-take-key-objectives/1776905.htmlhttp://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/10311007/Syria-nearly-half-rebel-fighters-are-jihadists-or-hardline-Islamists-says-IHS-Janes-report.htmlhttp://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/10311007/Syria-nearly-half-rebel-fighters-are-jihadists-or-hardline-Islamists-says-IHS-Janes-report.htmlhttp://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/10311007/Syria-nearly-half-rebel-fighters-are-jihadists-or-hardline-Islamists-says-IHS-Janes-report.htmlhttp://www.csmonitor.com/World/Security-Watch/terrorism-security/2013/0919/Civil-war-within-a-civil-war-Syrian-rebel-infighting-raises-new-worries.-videohttp://www.csmonitor.com/World/Security-Watch/terrorism-security/2013/0919/Civil-war-within-a-civil-war-Syrian-rebel-infighting-raises-new-worries.-videohttp://www.csmonitor.com/World/Security-Watch/terrorism-security/2013/0919/Civil-war-within-a-civil-war-Syrian-rebel-infighting-raises-new-worries.-videohttp://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-07-19/u-s-stakes-in-syria-grow-as-radicals-rally-to-the-fight.htmlhttp://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-07-19/u-s-stakes-in-syria-grow-as-radicals-rally-to-the-fight.htmlhttp://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-07-19/u-s-stakes-in-syria-grow-as-radicals-rally-to-the-fight.htmlhttp://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-07-19/u-s-stakes-in-syria-grow-as-radicals-rally-to-the-fight.htmlhttps://www.europol.europa.eu/content/newsletter-rise-terrorist-attacks-europe-2012https://www.europol.europa.eu/content/newsletter-rise-terrorist-attacks-europe-2012http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Lebanon-News/2013/Sep-13/231117-bulgaria-aims-for-trial-of-alleged-burgas-bombers-by-april.ashx#axzz2jJs71zo0http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Lebanon-News/2013/Sep-13/231117-bulgaria-aims-for-trial-of-alleged-burgas-bombers-by-april.ashx#axzz2jJs71zo0http://www.aljazeera.com/news/europe/2012/03/2012319875423753.htmlhttp://www.aljazeera.com/news/europe/2012/03/2012319875423753.htmlhttps://www.europol.europa.eu/content/newsletter-rise-terrorist-attacks-europe-2012https://www.europol.europa.eu/content/newsletter-rise-terrorist-attacks-europe-2012https://www.europol.europa.eu/content/newsletter-rise-terrorist-attacks-europe-2012http://www.economist.com/blogs/pomegranate/2013/08/syrias-civil-warhttp://www.economist.com/blogs/pomegranate/2013/08/syrias-civil-warhttp://www.economist.com/blogs/pomegranate/2013/08/syrias-civil-warhttps://www.europol.europa.eu/content/newsletter-rise-terrorist-attacks-europe-2012https://www.europol.europa.eu/content/newsletter-rise-terrorist-attacks-europe-2012https://www.europol.europa.eu/content/newsletter-rise-terrorist-attacks-europe-2012mailto:[email protected]://www.europol.europa.eu/content/newsletter-rise-terrorist-attacks-europe-2012https://www.europol.europa.eu/content/newsletter-rise-terrorist-attacks-europe-2012https://www.europol.europa.eu/content/newsletter-rise-terrorist-attacks-europe-2012https://www.europol.europa.eu/content/newsletter-rise-terrorist-attacks-europe-2012mailto:[email protected]://www.europol.europa.eu/content/newsletter-rise-terrorist-attacks-europe-2012http://www.economist.com/blogs/pomegranate/2013/08/syrias-civil-warhttps://www.europol.europa.eu/content/newsletter-rise-terrorist-attacks-europe-2012http://www.aljazeera.com/news/europe/2012/03/2012319875423753.htmlhttp://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Lebanon-News/2013/Sep-13/231117-bulgaria-aims-for-trial-of-alleged-burgas-bombers-by-april.ashx#axzz2jJs71zo0https://www.europol.europa.eu/content/newsletter-rise-terrorist-attacks-europe-2012http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-07-19/u-s-stakes-in-syria-grow-as-radicals-rally-to-the-fight.htmlhttp://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-07-19/u-s-stakes-in-syria-grow-as-radicals-rally-to-the-fight.htmlhttp://www.csmonitor.com/World/Security-Watch/terrorism-security/2013/0919/Civil-war-within-a-civil-war-Syrian-rebel-infighting-raises-new-worries.-videohttp://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/10311007/Syria-nearly-half-rebel-fighters-are-jihadists-or-hardline-Islamists-says-IHS-Janes-report.htmlhttp://www.voanews.com/content/hezbollah-forces-help-syrian-regime-take-key-objectives/1776905.htmlhttp://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/10311007/Syria-nearly-half-rebel-fighters-are-jihadists-or-hardline-Islamists-says-IHS-Janes-report.htmlhttp://www.cimicweb.org/


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JAN quickly became one of the most effective fighting rebel forces in Syria. According to Zelin, since the summer of2011 when the Syrian uprising became an armed insurrection, the jihad in Syria has become the du jour localefor fighters who want to topple the apostate al Assad regime for a variety of strategic, geographic and religiousreasons.

Foreign fighters in Syria have varying motivations for engaging in the conflict. Some foreign fighters view the Syrianconflict in jihadist terms. That is, they see the fight within Syria as an opportunity to establish an Islamic statebased on Sharia Law with intent to undertake jihad in the West. The hope of instituting a Caliphate State is oneof the most significant motives to enter the fight, and it is often linked to the Islamic sect of Salafism, a strictinterpretation of Sunni Islam. The rise of al Qaeda worldview fighters can be traced back to the fall of 2011, according to Zelin, who also authored Deciphering the Jihadist Presence in Syria: An Analysis of MartyrdomNotices .

Jihadi Tourism

Jihadi Tourism is a term often used todescribe travel to foreign destinationswith the object of locating and engagingin terrorist training. As early as 2009,British and US counterterrorism officials voiced concerns that British Somaliscould return to the UK after participatingin jihad training in Somalia, according toCBS News. Counterterrorism expert AnatBerko asserts that the overwhelmingdesire of many Muslim adolescent boys,even those educated in the West or whoare converts to Islam, especially thoseliving in countries where there is no realgovernance, is excitement [performing

jihad]. To that end they stream into

confrontation zones like Afghanistan,Pakistan, Chechnya, Libya, Iraq, Africa(such as the recent terrorist attack inKenya), and Syria to experience the mission, the excitement and promise of being a shaheed 6 as the ultimate inself- realization.

As of July 2013, reports suggested that thousands of foreign terrorists have travelled to Syria in order to wage jihad ( Figure 3 ). Jihadists that once used similar routes to access the insurgency in Iraq, now use those routes to join jihadists in Syria. Ibrahim Talib, head researcher and deputy director of the Center for Strategic Studies inDamascus indicated the same month that Tunisians in Syria number 15,000 followed by Libyans, Saudis,Egyptians, Palestinians and Lebanese, according to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty . In September 2013, SyrianForeign Minister Walid Muallem told the UN General Assembly that terrorists from more than 83 countries wereoperating in Syria, according to BBC . Jihadists have travelled to Syria at rates not even experienced during theheight of the Iraqi insurgency , according to the Washington Times . In March 2013 UK Foreign Minister WilliamHague said, Syria is now the number one destination for jihadists anywhere in the world today . One seniorFrench counterterror official who requested anonymity stated, Imagine this : Between 2001 and 2010, weidentified 50 jihadists who went from France to Afghanistan, surely there were more, but we identified 50. WithSyria, in one year, we have already identified 135. It has been very fast and strong, reports Pro Publica.

At the Syrian border town of Atmeh near Turkey , one journalist described the scene as a set for a movie about alQaeda , reports Der Spiegel . New jihadists arrive pulling suitcases searching for their emirs. Africans and Asianscan be seen on the streets. Long-haired men dressed in traditional Afghan clothing walk around wielding AK-47s.Atmeh was once considered a sleepy smugglers nest on the Turkish border. Now, it has become mecca for

jihad tourists from around the world . More than 1,000 jihadists were staying in and around the village in

6 Shadeed is a martyr for the sake of Allah . It is an Arabic term for holy martyrs .

Figure 3: Routes into Syria

Source: Truth Frequency Radio
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September 2013, making it the densest accumulation of jihadists in Syria. Responding to the influx, Atmeh shopsnow carry shalwar kameez, traditional Afghan clothing. New restaurants are opening and a new company,International Contacts, books flights and serves as a currency exchange. In June 2013, a third Internet cafopened in Atmeh in order to accommodate the many jihadists looking to communicate with relatives and friends.Atmeh has become the transit point for international jihadists arriving at the nearby airport in Hatay, Turkey. Some

jihadists will remain in the area, while others will travel on to Aleppo, Latakia to Raqa'a.

Jihadists in Atmeh consider Syria a staging ground . A young jihadist from the UK explains, First there is jihad here,until we achieve victory! Then we will liberate Iraq , Lebanon and Palestine. According to Der Spiegel , in June2013 there were at least five jihadist groups in and around Atmeh. The five groups are discussed below:

i. Dawla al-Islamiyya fi al-Iraq wa bilad al-Sham (Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS)The name means t hose who believed and m igrated . The al Qaeda-affiliated group continues to grow and hasmore than 200 members. ISIS has played an important role in fighting on the outskirts of the city of Aleppo and inthe surrounding countryside. Recently, ISIS has sought to expand and consolidate control over outlying towns inAleppo and Idlib governorates especially those with strategic importance along the border with Turkey. Accordingto Joshua Landis, an expert on Syria, ISIS martyrs are overwhelmingly foreign. Fighters from Saudi Arabia, Tunisia,Libya, Jordan have been killed while members of ISIS.

ii. Jaysh al Muhajirin wal Ansar (The Army of Emigrants and Helpers)The Army, a Chechen jihadist group, is fighting primarily in Aleppo and is one of the most prominent groups fighting in the Syrian Jihad. The group integrated several Syrian fighting units into its ranks. In March 2013, a unitof Mujahideen of Kataeb al Mujahideen, or Brigade of Emigrants, under the command of Abu Omar al Chechenwas joined by several brigades of Syrian Mujahideen, including Kataeb Khattab, or the Brigade of Khattab, andJaish Muhammad, or the Army of Muhammad, after which it was decided to reorganise the structure of Kataeb ,Kavkaz Center reported. One report suggests there are over 1,000 in the group originating from differentcountries, including the Caucasus Emirate, Russia, Ukraine, Crimea and other Commonwealth of IndependentStates (CIS 7) countries. Formed in the summer of 2012, it is headed by an ethnic Chechen Abu Omar al Chechen.As of June 2013, there are approximately 170 foreign fighters belonging to Jaysh al Muhajirin wal Ansar .

iii. Abu al-BanatA group of an estimated seventy fighters, it is named after its emir and consists of Chechens, Dagestanis and

Azerbaijanis. The group s numbers are in decline. Few additional details about its capabilities and activities areknown.

iv. Abu Musab al JazairiThe group takes its name from the founder, an Algerian financier, and comprises sixty members. Few additionaldetails about its capabilities and activities are known.

v. Jahbat Al Nusra JAN (Front of Defense)Most of the foreign jihadists now fighting in Syria express loyalty to al Qaeda-affiliated Jahbat al Nusra (JAN).Reports suggest that while fighters are coming from around the world . JAN ranks are largely comprised of Saudis,Iraqis, Libyans and Tunisians. By all accounts, JAN is the best organised and ideologically motivated armedopposition group operating in Syria, after the secular Free Syrian Army (FSA). According to Foreign Policy , JANmaintains an operational presence in eleven of Syrias thirteen governorates.

Jihadists in Europe

To date, counterterrorism measures are largely relegated to the individual European countries. However, the EUTerrorism Chief Gilles de Kerchove anticipates EU member countries becoming more cooperative over securitymeasures and setting joint objectives in order to address the threat. Kerchove indicated a high priority for the EUto engage with the Turkish government in order to more closely monitor suspicious travel of EU citizens. Europeanleaders express great concern over the return of foreign fighters, who arrive equipped with deadly military skills , trained in the tradecraft of international terrorism and immersed in the extremist anti-Western ideology of al

7 Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) countries are an association of former Soviet republics that were establish in December 1991 byRussia, the Ukraine and Belarus to help ease the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Other members include Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia,Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.
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Qaeda. Of the large number of European Muslims who have received training overseas and fought in places suchas Somalia, Libya and Syria, few have actually conducted attacks after returning to Europe, according to Stratfor .Still, in an era when jihadist ideologues are urging individual jihad in the West , these trained individuals pose avery real threat to Europes security .

Foreign Fighters from European CountriesForeign Policy indicates that the UK, France, Germany, and Ireland are among the countries from which up to1,000 European transnational volunteers 8 have left to join Syrian rebels against the Assad regime. Zelin reportsthat European countries have growing concerns over the number of European Muslims joining the Syrian rebels(Figure 4.) . In February 2013, the UK-based Independent claims that more than 100 Britons had gone to Syria. LeFigaro estimated 50 to 80 people came from France. Der Spiegel reported dozens of Germans , and Jyllands-Posten reported 45 Danes. Without question, the picture on the ground in Syria is far from complete and will likelychange as the conflict continues to morph. As a result, accurate figures vary considerably, but do reveal theEuropean countries from which citizens have travelled to Syria to engage in the fight.

Figure 4. European Nationalities Represented in Syrian Opposition Forces(as of Feb 2013)

Albania Austria BelgiumBritain Bulgaria DenmarkFinland France GermanyIreland Iceland KosovoNetherlands Spain Sweden

Source : International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation

The threat of battle savvy, foreign fighters returning to Europe from combat in Syria and North Africa is fuellingdebate over immigration and integration policies throughout Europe, says an August 2013 Stratfor report. EUCounterterrorism Coordinator de Kerchove estimated in April 2013 that 500 Europeans were fighting in Syriamostly from the UK, France and Ireland; the ICSR reported up to 600 Europeans.

The challenge of monitoring returning fighters is complex. EU cross-border travel restrictions are minimal and

some European officials report they do not want to provoke reaction from Muslim communities. Compounding theproblem, according to Stratfor, is that returning fighters are in fact European citizens and are not flagged bycurrent immigration mechanisms. Hence, returning European fighters can receive support from people and groupsin the Middle East and North Africa largely undetected. Further, the networks made on the battlefield can beleveraged to plan and execute attacks on Western targets. This potential threat posed by radicals has emerged asan important policy issue, likely one reason both the UK and France have been reluctant thus far to arm Syrianopposition fighters, suggests Stratfor.

Additionally, Thomas Hegghammer, an expert on terrorism and political violence , discovered that approximatelyone in nine returning foreign fighters attempt to launch a Western attack. While the percentage is low,Hegghammer asserts that the plots are more likely to succeed. Attacks planned by returning foreign fighters aretwice as likely to be lethal than those planned by terrorists who have never fought abroad. While Hegghammersresearch reveals that most foreign jihadists prefer to attack abroad, the one in nine radicalisation ratedemonstrates that the foreign fighting experience is one of the strongest predictors of individual involvement indomestic operations. Hegghammer also emphasised that the vast majority of returning foreign fighters will resumetheir former, peaceful lives -albeit perhaps with enhanced prestige among home country Islamists. Research alsosuggests that some foreign fighters will never return home. Of course, some foreign fighters will die in battle butsome could move to other locations to fight 9 , and some may settle in Syria.

For those monitoring radicalism in Europe, Caucasian converts to radical Islam is of great concern. Patrick Poole, aprivate counterterrorism analyst indicates that terrorist groups welcome Americans that join their ranks. Thesenew recruits facilitate fundraising and recruitment in the West, demonstrated in recent years with al Shabaab

8 Foreign fighters have also been referred to as transnational volunteers and transnational insurgents. 9 Thomas Hegghammer asserts that some of the battle seasoned jihadists currently fighting in Syria cut their teeth battling against MuammarQaddafi in Libya.
http://www.stratfor.com/analysis/european-jihadists-continuation-historical-trendhttp://www.stratfor.com/analysis/european-jihadists-continuation-historical-trendhttp://www.stratfor.com/analysis/european-jihadists-continuation-historical-trendhttp://www.stratfor.com/analysis/inspire-magazine-no-11-al-qaeda-arabian-peninsula-touts-its-influencehttp://www.stratfor.com/analysis/inspire-magazine-no-11-al-qaeda-arabian-peninsula-touts-its-influencehttp://www.stratfor.com/analysis/inspire-magazine-no-11-al-qaeda-arabian-peninsula-touts-its-influencehttp://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2013/07/09/european_fighters_jihadists_syriahttp://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2013/07/09/european_fighters_jihadists_syriahttp://icsr.info/2013/04/icsr-insight-european-foreign-fighters-in-syria-2/http://icsr.info/2013/04/icsr-insight-european-foreign-fighters-in-syria-2/http://icsr.info/2013/04/icsr-insight-european-foreign-fighters-in-syria-2/http://icsr.info/2013/04/icsr-insight-european-foreign-fighters-in-syria-2/http://icsr.info/2013/04/icsr-insight-european-foreign-fighters-in-syria-2/http://icsr.info/2013/04/icsr-insight-european-foreign-fighters-in-syria-2/http://c/Users/act.lavender/AppData/Roaming/Microsoft/Word/icsr-insight-european-foreign-fighters-in-syria-2http://c/Users/act.lavender/AppData/Roaming/Microsoft/Word/icsr-insight-european-foreign-fighters-in-syria-2http://c/Users/act.lavender/AppData/Roaming/Microsoft/Word/icsr-insight-european-foreign-fighters-in-syria-2http://www.stratfor.com/analysis/european-jihadists-continuation-historical-trendhttp://www.stratfor.com/analysis/european-jihadists-continuation-historical-trendhttp://www.stratfor.com/analysis/european-jihadists-continuation-historical-trendhttp://www.stratfor.com/analysis/european-jihadists-continuation-historical-trendhttp://www.stratfor.com/analysis/european-jihadists-continuation-historical-trendhttp://www.stratfor.com/analysis/european-jihadists-continuation-historical-trendhttp://www.stratfor.com/analysis/european-jihadists-continuation-historical-trendhttp://www.stratfor.com/analysis/european-jihadists-continuation-historical-trendhttp://www.stratfor.com/analysis/european-jihadists-continuation-historical-trendhttp://www.centeronnationalsecurity.org/node/614http://www.centeronnationalsecurity.org/node/614http://www.centeronnationalsecurity.org/node/614http://hegghammer.com/_files/Hegghammer_-_Should_I_stay_or_should_I_go.pdfhttp://hegghammer.com/_files/Hegghammer_-_Should_I_stay_or_should_I_go.pdfhttp://gradworks.umi.com/3359978.pdfhttp://gradworks.umi.com/3359978.pdfhttp://gradworks.umi.com/3359978.pdfhttp://www.economist.com/news/britain/21577081-government-worried-about-british-jihadists-syriawith-reason-will-they-come-homehttp://www.economist.com/news/britain/21577081-government-worried-about-british-jihadists-syriawith-reason-will-they-come-homehttp://www.economist.com/news/britain/21577081-government-worried-about-british-jihadists-syriawith-reason-will-they-come-homehttp://www.economist.com/news/britain/21577081-government-worried-about-british-jihadists-syriawith-reason-will-they-come-homehttp://gradworks.umi.com/3359978.pdfhttp://hegghammer.com/_files/Hegghammer_-_Should_I_stay_or_should_I_go.pdfhttp://www.centeronnationalsecurity.org/node/614http://www.stratfor.com/analysis/european-jihadists-continuation-historical-trendhttp://www.stratfor.com/analysis/european-jihadists-continuation-historical-trendhttp://www.stratfor.com/analysis/european-jihadists-continuation-historical-trendhttp://www.stratfor.com/analysis/european-jihadists-continuation-historical-trendhttp://c/Users/act.lavender/AppData/Roaming/Microsoft/Word/icsr-insight-european-foreign-fighters-in-syria-2http://icsr.info/2013/04/icsr-insight-european-foreign-fighters-in-syria-2/http://icsr.info/2013/04/icsr-insight-european-foreign-fighters-in-syria-2/http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2013/07/09/european_fighters_jihadists_syriahttp://www.stratfor.com/analysis/inspire-magazine-no-11-al-qaeda-arabian-peninsula-touts-its-influencehttp://www.stratfor.com/analysis/european-jihadists-continuation-historical-trend


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recruiting and fundraising in US Somali communities 10 . Al Qaeda has been attempting to recruit Americans andEuropeans as terrorists for years assuming that they would be capable of more easily evading western securitymonitoring.

EU and US Case Studies

The following section demonstrates some of the internal challenges facing European countries as they encounterreturning foreign fighters and the threat of extremism. This section is not an exhaustive treatment of the legalimplications or the complex issue of foreign fighters within a respective country

BelgiumBelgium no longer conducts a national census ; however, the population of Muslims in the country is estimated atbetween 320,000 to 450,000 persons, translating to approximately four per cent of the population, reports Euro-Islam. Almost 35 per cent of the Muslim population consists of Turkish or Moroccan immigrants. The Council ofEurope (COE) shows that since December 2003 , Belgium has enacted counter terrorism legislation. The TerroristOffences Act transposed into Belgian law the Council of the European Union Framework Decision of 13 June2002 11 on combating terrorism. Later, in 2004 Belgium incorporated the financing of terrorism 12 into its Act of 11January 1993 on prevention of the use of the financial system for money laundering.

According to reports, Belgian authorities have found it difficult to prosecute jihadists in Belgian courts , as theuprising against Assad is generally regarded as legitimate, according to Gatestone Institute. In a recent DeStandaard reported court case; thirteen Muslim extremists were acquitted of having membership in a terroristorganisation. While the Belgian court claimed the existence of proof that the jihadists travelled to Chechnya, therewas no evidence that they fought in Chechnya as members of a terrorist group.

Relating to Syria, an outlawed Belgian extremist Muslim group, Sharia4Belgium , indicated that at least seventy ofits members are fighting in Syria. According to the De Standaard , the Belgian jihadists are yo ung people, betweenthe ages of 17 and 25, who grew up in [Belgium]. They are young people without qualifications and often withcriminal records. They come from Antwerp, Brussels, Mechelen and Vilvoorde. Pro Publica places the number of

jihadists who have journeyed from Belgium to Syria between 100 - 300 persons.

In April 2013, the New York Times reports that authorities conducted 48 raids on suspected jihadi recruitersallegedly affiliated with Sharia4Belgium, and who are believed to be luring Belgians to the Syrian front.

According to Al Jazeera , eighteen-year-old Jejoen Bontinck was arrested on 18 October for allegedly fighting alongside Syrian rebel forces following a recruiting call from Fouad Belkacem, leader of Sharia4Belgium . BBC reports that Bontinck did not deny he was in northern Syria for eight months, but asserts he only providedhumanitarian support in Syria as a hospital transport. On 23 October, the young man was remanded into custodyby an Antwerp court while police investigate the case further. The case underscores Europes growing concernsover returning foreign fighters and what kind of security implications the returnees bring with them. De Standaard reports that the Belgian security services are particularly concerned about what will happen when the military -trained drop -outs, after the war from Syria, return to our country.

DenmarkWhile there is no official census of Muslims in Denmark, some reliable data is available, reports American ForeignPolicy Council (AFPC). Between 1999 and 2006, the proportion of Muslims in the total population grew from 2.9per cent to 3.8 per cent (207,000), resulting from Iraqi and Somalia refugee resettlement, in addition to a limitednumber of family reunifications among Turkish and Pakistani immigrants. Denmarks Muslim community isethnically diverse. The largest group is Turkish (24.7 per cent ), followed by Iraqis, Lebanese and Pakistanis (11.7per cent, 10.7 per cent and 8.3 per cent , respectively).

Since 2001, the Danish parliament has passed two Anti-Terrorism Acts, first in 2002 and subsequently in 2006.According to the Misson of Denmark to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) ,the first

10 The 23 September attack on a shopping mall in Nairobi Kenya shines new light on the recruitment practices of al Shabaab in Somalicommunities in the US, Canada and Europe. 11 The Council Framework Decision of 13 June 2002 can be accessed at: http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=CONSLEG:2002F0475:20081209:EN:PDF 12 The Law of 11 January 1993 can be accessed at:http://index.justice.gov.il/Units/HalbantHon/docs/Lawof11January1993onpreventinguseofthefinancialsys.pdf
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Act de facto amended the Danish penal code by introducing a separate terrorism provision (Chapter 13, 114)that increased the punishment for a variety of previously-proscribed actions if carried out with the intention offrightening a population, unduly forc[ing] Danish or foreign authorities to act or abstain from acting, ordestabilis ing the fundamental political, constitutional, economic or social structures of a country or aninternational organization . The maximum sentence for committing an offense under the new terrorism provision

was raised to life in prison. A report commissioned by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs(UNOCHA) and the Norwegian Refugee Council in 2013 states that in 2006 Denmark also introduced additionaloffences , including the provision of financial support or the making of money, other financial assets of financial orother similar services available indirectly to a person or group that commits or intends to commit terrorist acts.The Anti-Terrorism Act similarly equipped authorities with new tools to fight terrorism, including secret searches;the logging of telephone and Internet communications; easier access to computer surveillance; expanded ability torefuse or withdraw residence permits.

Following the 07 July 2005 London subway bombings, Danish authorities began re- focusing on home-grown terrorism threats , according to Extremis Project. State antiterrorism policies soon focused on preventing thera dicalis ation of Danish Muslims, leading to the establishment of a comprehensive Danish counter -radicalisationAction Plan adopted in 2008-2009.

With regard to Syria, on 03 March, the Danish newspaper Politiken reported that a Danish convert to Islam hadbeen killed in fighting near the Syrian city of Homs. The death of Abdel Malik came two weeks after anotherDanish citizen, Slimane Hadj Abderrahmane, was killed while fighting with the Syrian opposition. Interestingly,Abderrahmane spent two years in the US prison at Guantanamo after his capture in Afghanistan in 2001. Politikenalso reported that 65 Danish nationals had fought alongside Syrian rebels, with at least five of them having beenkilled as of June 2013.

In efforts to bolster security, Danish intelligence services inform Danish authorities of trips made by the countryscitizens to Syria and the source of any funds used for this purpose, reports Politiken . The government isconsidering sanctions against returning fighters, ranging from a suspension of welfare benefits for immigrants tocriminal charges of terrorism.

FranceFrance has an estimated six million Muslims, while according to the NYT, the number of Muslim converts has

doubled in the past 25 years as conversions to Islam are becoming more commonplace. French antiterrorismauthorities have been warning for years that the conversion of French nationals to Islam could be a critical issue inthe Europe-wide terrorist threat, as the converts do not stand out w ith Western passports. Muslims relate theyare regularly discriminated against, demonstrated by the 2010 law banning the full-face veil from public spaces.

France responded to the 9/11 attacks, with the 15 November 2001 passing of the Everyday Security law. The lawis considered controversial as it extends beyond the b oundaries of what normally could be considered counter-terrorism according to Euro -Islam. France has continued to adopt specific anti-terrorist laws including the Acts of18 March 2003, 09 March 2004 and 23 January 2006 which have reinforced the basic legislation and proceduralregulations, according to COE. France deported 129 suspected terrorists between 2001 and 2010, reports TheTelegraph.

In October 2012, French police conducted a series of antiterrorism raids which resulted in twelve arrests includingthree French citizens who had recently converted to Islam, reports NYT. Again in March 2013, CNN reported thatthree citizens were Chechens suspected of Islamist terrorist activity.

French Interior Minister Manuel Valls claimed that only a handful of French jihadists had travelled to participatein the recent unrest in Mali. However, it is widely believed that at least fifty and as many as eighty Frenchcitizens departed the country to fight in the Syrian conflict as of March 2013. Travel to Syria is relativelyuncomplicated for French citizens. According to Turkeys Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Turkey does not require a visafor French citizens. Upon arrival, it is relatively easy to cross the porous Syrian-Turkish border in order to join theSyrian conflict.

GermanyGermany is home to the highest number of Muslim citizens in Western Europe and is described by AFPC as ahotbed of Islamist activity. With a total Muslim population of 4.3 million, Salafists are the fastest growing Muslim
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sect in Germany with 4,000 adherents. AFPC reports that the attacks of 9/11 were organised in part in Germanyby the Hamburg cell headed at the time by Mohammed Atta 13 , one of the 9/11 hijackers. Abu Hajer, one ofOsama Bin Ladens deputies in Sudan and head of his computer operations and weapons procurement , wasarrested in Germany shortly after the 9/11 attacks, according to the 9/11 Commission Report .

Germanys counter -terrorism provisions are located within the German Criminal Code (section 129a, b and 89a ff)as well as a growing number of sections of the Code of Criminal Procedures 14 . The COE country profile asserts thatGermany recognises the importance of working on an international level to address terrorism.

German security services closely monitor extremism , reports The Guardian . The Bundesamt f r Verfassungsschutz(BfV15 ) estimates that there are 20 Islamist groups active in Germany with approximately 35,000 members orsupporters who desire to establish a Koran -state in Germany. As of May 2013, German intelligence suggestedthat up to forty people had left Germany to fight in Syria and up to sixty militants had left Germany for Egypt wherethey were traced to training camps in Somalia, reports The Guardian . In the 08 June 2013 interview with Die Welt , Interior Minister Hans- Peter Friedrich said, Radical Salafism is like a hard drug . All of those who succumb to herbecome violent . On 22 October, Germany's BfV secret service suspects there are some two hundred jihadistsfrom Germany in Syria, reports Deutsche Welle . The majority of fighters come from the western state of NorthRhine-Westphalia, followed by Hesse, Berlin, Bavaria and Hamburg. More than fifty per cent are German citizens.In Syria the majority of German jihadists congregate in a so- called German camp.

A spate of Salafist-led attacks on German police in 2012 has many concerned of rising extremism in Germany. Inthe aftermath, German authorities launched a major crackdown on radical Islamists suspected of working againstthe interests of Germans. In March, 2013, the Ministry of the Interior banned three Salafist organisations as anti-democratic, reports Reuters . DawaFFM, Islamische Audios and An-Nussrah 16 were deemed incompatible withGermanys free democratic order. Evidence collected in country-wide raids involving over 1,000 German police in June 2013 could enable the German government to outlaw some of the dozens of Islamist groups still operatingin the country, reports Gatestone Institute. Minister of the Interior Hans-Peter Friedrich, in May 2013, raised theissue of home-grown terrorism and pledged to address it at meetings of EU governments . Friedrich proposes acontroversial two year re-entry ban to the EU for suspected terrorists.

NetherlandsStatistics Netherlands (CBS) reported in 2012 that 951,000 Muslims reside in the Netherlands, accounting for

5.7 per cent of the total population. However, this accounts for legal residents while the illegal Muslim populationis reported to be quite substantial and more difficult to quantify. Turks account for 37 pe r cent of the Muslimpopulation and Moroccans an additional 36 per cent. Other large Muslim communities come from Afghanistan,Iran, Iraq, Pakistan and Somalia. Additionally, there are several thousand native Dutch converts and children ofsecond-generation Muslim immigrants. For example, Dutch Islamophobe Arnoud Van Door a onetime anti-Islamic filmmaker and member of the anti- Islamic Geert Wilders party , converted to Islam in April 2013, reportsThe Guardian.

The Dutch judicial system, like many other Western countries, lacks the authority to prevent Dutch foreign fightersfrom travelling to foreign battlegrounds. In many instances, the cases are highly controversial. For example, threeDutch Kurds were arrested in November 2012 under charges they were taking preparatory actions for thepurpose of committing terrorist offenses. The case is pending and two of the three Kurds have been releasedfrom jail. In another case, on 23 Oc tober 2013, a Dutch court convicted two men of preparing to commit murder .

It set a legal precedent in the Netherlands for people planning to fight in Syria, reports Al Jazeera . The Courtsruling suggested that the two men planned to join rebel fighters in Syria; both men were Dutch citizens andarrested in November 2012. Suspicions were raised after one of the men purchased an airplane ticket to Turkey,terminated his apartment lease and told social service he was going abroad. Prosecution spokesman Paul van derZonden said the decision, is the first time that the Netherlands hands down such a judgement and this helpsclarify the fact th at its illegal to go to Syria to fight. This means that we now have a legal precedent and canprosecute other people wanting to go to Syria or coming back.

13 Spiegel reports that the al Qaeda Hamburg-Cell, was headed by Mohammad Atta . Atta and cell-member Marwan al Shehhi piloted the planesthat rammed into the World Trade Center. Ziad Jarrah, also a cell-member had skyjacked the plane that crashed in Pennsylvania.14 An extensive listing of Germanys codes that address aspects of counter -terrorism efforts can be accessed at:http://legislationline.org/topics/country/28/topic/5 15 The Bundesamt f r Verfassungsschutz is the domestic intelligence agency of the Federal Republic of Germany. 16 An-Nussrah is reported to be part of the Millatu Ibrahim group that was outlawed in Germany in June 2012.
http://www.9-11commission.gov/report/911Report.pdfhttp://www.9-11commission.gov/report/911Report.pdfhttp://www.9-11commission.gov/report/911Report.pdfhttp://www.9-11commission.gov/report/911Report.pdfhttp://www.9-11commission.gov/report/911Report.pdfhttp://www.coe.int/t/dlapil/codexter/4_theme_files/Country_Profiles/CODEXTER%20Profiles%20_2009_%20Germany%20FINAL.pdfhttp://www.coe.int/t/dlapil/codexter/4_theme_files/Country_Profiles/CODEXTER%20Profiles%20_2009_%20Germany%20FINAL.pdfhttp://www.dw.de/germanys-domestic-security-services-explained/a-16070984http://www.dw.de/germanys-domestic-security-services-explained/a-16070984http://www.dw.de/germanys-domestic-security-services-explained/a-16070984http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/may/16/germany-fears-european-jihadists-syria-returnhttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/may/16/germany-fears-european-jihadists-syria-returnhttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/may/16/germany-fears-european-jihadists-syria-returnhttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/may/16/germany-fears-european-jihadists-syria-returnhttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/may/16/germany-fears-european-jihadists-syria-returnhttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/may/16/germany-fears-european-jihadists-syria-returnhttp://www.welt.de/print/die_welt/politik/article106437736/Radikaler-Salafismus-ist-wie-eine-harte-Droge.htmlhttp://www.welt.de/print/die_welt/politik/article106437736/Radikaler-Salafismus-ist-wie-eine-harte-Droge.htmlhttp://www.welt.de/print/die_welt/politik/article106437736/Radikaler-Salafismus-ist-wie-eine-harte-Droge.htmlhttp://www.dw.de/jihad-and-back-german-fighters-in-syria/a-17174394http://www.dw.de/jihad-and-back-german-fighters-in-syria/a-17174394http://www.dw.de/jihad-and-back-german-fighters-in-syria/a-17174394http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/03/13/us-germany-salafists-idUSBRE92C09P20130313http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/03/13/us-germany-salafists-idUSBRE92C09P20130313http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/03/13/us-germany-salafists-idUSBRE92C09P20130313http://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/3121/germany-radical-salafismhttp://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/3121/germany-radical-salafismhttp://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/3121/germany-radical-salafismhttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/may/16/germany-fears-european-jihadists-syria-returnhttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/may/16/germany-fears-european-jihadists-syria-returnhttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/may/16/germany-fears-european-jihadists-syria-returnhttp://almanac.afpc.org/Netherlandshttp://almanac.afpc.org/Netherlandshttp://www.theguardian.com/world/shortcuts/2013/oct/23/arnoud-van-doorn-anti-islamic-convert-hajjhttp://www.theguardian.com/world/shortcuts/2013/oct/23/arnoud-van-doorn-anti-islamic-convert-hajjhttp://www.theguardian.com/world/shortcuts/2013/oct/23/arnoud-van-doorn-anti-islamic-convert-hajjhttp://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2013/10/23/dutch-court-sentenceswouldbesyrianrebelfighters.htmlhttp://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2013/10/23/dutch-court-sentenceswouldbesyrianrebelfighters.htmlhttp://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2013/10/23/dutch-court-sentenceswouldbesyrianrebelfighters.htmlhttp://www.spiegel.de/international/september-11-2001-five-years-later-atta-s-army-a-450251.htmlhttp://www.spiegel.de/international/september-11-2001-five-years-later-atta-s-army-a-450251.htmlhttp://www.spiegel.de/international/september-11-2001-five-years-later-atta-s-army-a-450251.htmlhttp://legislationline.org/topics/country/28/topic/5http://legislationline.org/topics/country/28/topic/5http://www.verfassungsschutz.de/en/index-en.htmlhttp://www.verfassungsschutz.de/en/index-en.htmlhttp://www.verfassungsschutz.de/en/index-en.htmlhttp://www.reuters.com/article/2013/03/13/us-germany-salafists-idUSBRE92C09P20130313http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/03/13/us-germany-salafists-idUSBRE92C09P20130313http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/03/13/us-germany-salafists-idUSBRE92C09P20130313http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/03/13/us-germany-salafists-idUSBRE92C09P20130313http://www.verfassungsschutz.de/en/index-en.htmlhttp://legislationline.org/topics/country/28/topic/5http://www.spiegel.de/international/september-11-2001-five-years-later-atta-s-army-a-450251.htmlhttp://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2013/10/23/dutch-court-sentenceswouldbesyrianrebelfighters.htmlhttp://www.theguardian.com/world/shortcuts/2013/oct/23/arnoud-van-doorn-anti-islamic-convert-hajjhttp://almanac.afpc.org/Netherlandshttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/may/16/germany-fears-european-jihadists-syria-returnhttp://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/3121/germany-radical-salafismhttp://www.reuters.com/article/2013/03/13/us-germany-salafists-idUSBRE92C09P20130313http://www.dw.de/jihad-and-back-german-fighters-in-syria/a-17174394http://www.welt.de/print/die_welt/politik/article106437736/Radikaler-Salafismus-ist-wie-eine-harte-Droge.htmlhttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/may/16/germany-fears-european-jihadists-syria-returnhttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/may/16/ger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The 2004 Madrid train bombings, and the European response that followed, motivated the Dutch government tostep up its own counterterror infrastructure. A new central body, the National Coordinator for Counter Terrorism(NCTV), was created and tasked, to minimize the risk of terrorist a ttacks in the Netherlands and to take priormeasures to limit the potential impact of terrorist acts . NCTV efforts focus on the issue of counter-radicalisation,

launching a joint government and law enforcement operations to disrupt the work of the main Salafi centres inthe Netherlands, reports AFPC.

Despite NCTV efforts, the Dutch government raised the terrorism alert level from limited to substantial inMarch 2013 stating that the chance of an attack in the Netherlands or against Dutch interests abroad has risen.The same month, the Dutch public broadcasting system, NOS television, reported that the Netherlands hadbecome one of the major European suppliers of Islamic jihadists. According to NOS, an estimated 100 DutchMuslims were fighting in Syria, most with JAN. NCTV shared that the individuals had left the Netherlands forvarious countries in Africa and the Middle East, especially Syria. The agency cautioned that individuals fighting forIslam abroad could return and inspire others in the Netherlands to follow in their footsteps.

SpainAccording to the AFPC, 1.6 million of Spains 47.4 million inhabitants are Muslim. Seventy-five per cent of theSpanish Muslim population lives across the Mediterranean Sea in two territories that border Morocco, Ceuta andMelilla ( Figure 5 .). On the mainland, Spanish Muslims are concentrated in three regions: Catalonia (427,000),Andalusia (253,000), and Madrid (242,000). According to Gatestone Institute, Catalonia, an autonomous region innortheastern Spain, is home to the biggest concentration of radical Islamists in Europe. Spanish authorities areparticularly concerned over the threat to security posed by Salafism which seeks to re-establish an Islamic empireacross the Middle East, North Africa and Spain 17 . Catalonia is home to potentially hundreds of Salafists.

In Spains fight against terrorism, both the general provisionof the Spanish juridical regulations established to prevent allkinds of crime, including terrorism and the specificprovisions ado pted to fight terrorism can be applied.According to the Council of Europe, Spain has no specific anti-terrorist legislation. In Spain, the legal concept of terrorism isclosely aligned with Article 55.2 of the 1978 Constitution that

allows for the restriction of certain procedural rights inconnection with the acts of armed gangs or terrorist cells;however, the Penal code does not contain a precise definitionas to what is meant by the term terrorist group.

In July 2013, Spains Secretary of State for Security FrancisoMartinez Vazquez suggested that Europe was witnessing anew kind of terrorism characterised by self -radicalisation and self-training mainly through the Internet, which isabsolutely different from what we knew before, reports the Independent .

In Valencia Spain , according to Agence France-Presse , Mohamed Echaabi, a 22 year old Moroccan, was taken intocustody February 2013 for planning terrorist attacks in Spain and elsewhere in Europe. A year earlier, In March2012, police in Valencia arrested Mudhar Hussein Almalki, a Saudi suspected of running jihadist Internet forumsand sharing documents with extremists. In August 2012, three suspected al Qaeda terrorists were arrested bySpanish police for the alleged planning of an airborne attack on a Gibraltar shopping mall and another planagainst a US-Spanish naval base at Rota. The suspects were Chechen-Russians and a Turkish national. Morerecently, in June 2013, BBC reported eight suspected members of an al Qaeda network based in Ceuta, and in thecity of Fnideq, stand accused of training, funding and facilitating travel for jihadist fighters. In an issued statement,the Spanish Ministry of Interior said dozens of people, some of them under eighteen, had left both Ceuta andMoroccan territory under the cover of the al-Qaeda- linked network. The Ministry indicated that some of them hadtaken part in suicide attacks, while others had joined training camps to prepare for armed action. Several groupsof jihadists were still expecting to travel from Spain to Syria, the ministry statement said, adding that theinvestigation was ongoing. Diaz said, We are aware that they [al Qaeda network] facilitated the travel of a numberof persons from Ceuta, Morocco an d other places in Spain, via Turkey. Later in September, Spanish police

17 Salafists view Spain as a Muslim state that must be reconquered for Islam.

Figure 5. Spanish Ceuta and Melilla

Source : BBC
http://english.nctv.nl/http://english.nctv.nl/http://english.nctv.nl/http://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/3634/european-jihadistshttp://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/3634/european-jihadistshttp://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/3634/european-jihadistshttp://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/3634/european-jihadistshttp://almanac.afpc.org/Spainhttp://almanac.afpc.org/Spainhttp://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/3971/spain-catalonia-burqa-banhttp://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/3971/spain-catalonia-burqa-banhttp://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/3971/spain-catalonia-burqa-banhttp://www.penal.org/IMG/JLDLCTerrorism.pdfhttp://www.penal.org/IMG/JLDLCTerrorism.pdfhttp://www.coe.int/t/dlapil/codexter/Source/country_profiles/CODEXTER%20Profiles%20(2006)%20Spain%20E.pdfhttp://www.coe.int/t/dlapil/codexter/Source/country_profiles/CODEXTER%20Profiles%20(2006)%20Spain%20E.pdfhttp://www.coe.int/t/dlapil/codexter/Source/country_profiles/CODEXTER%20Profiles%20(2006)%20Spain%20E.pdfhttp://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/politics/theresa-may-urges-action-on-jihad-tourism-8692590.htmlhttp://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/politics/theresa-may-urges-action-on-jihad-tourism-8692590.htmlhttp://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/politics/theresa-may-urges-action-on-jihad-tourism-8692590.htmlhttp://www.thelocal.es/20130423/al-qaeda-arresthttp://www.thelocal.es/20130423/al-qaeda-arresthttp://www.thelocal.es/20130423/al-qaeda-arresthttp://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2013/06/spain_uncovers_al_qa.phphttp://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2013/06/spain_uncovers_al_qa.phphttp://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2013/06/spain_uncovers_al_qa.phphttp://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-22999619http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-22999619http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-22999619http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2013/06/spain_uncovers_al_qa.phphttp://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2013/06/spain_uncovers_al_qa.phphttp://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/afp/130917/spain-arrests-suspected-leader-who-sent-jihadists-syriahttp://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/afp/130917/spain-arrests-suspected-leader-who-sent-jihadists-syriahttp://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-14114627http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-14114627http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-14114627http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-14114627http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/afp/130917/spain-arrests-suspected-leader-who-sent-jihadists-syriahttp://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2013/06/spain_uncovers_al_qa.phphttp://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-22999619http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2013/06/spain_uncovers_al_qa.phphttp://www.thelocal.es/20130423/al-qaeda-arresthttp://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/politics/theresa-may-urges-action-on-jihad-tourism-8692590.htmlhttp://www.coe.int/t/dlapil/codexter/Source/country_profiles/CODEXTER%20Profiles%20(2006)%20Spain%20E.pdfhttp://www.penal.org/IMG/JLDLCTerrorism.pdfhttp://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/3971/spain-catalonia-burqa-banhttp://almanac.afpc.org/Spainhttp://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/3634/european-jihadistshttp://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/3634/european-jihadistshttp://english.nctv.nl/


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arrested the suspected leader of an al Qaeda-linked militant group that recruited and sent militants to fight inSyria, according to Agence France-Presse . Yassin Ahmed Laarbi was arrested in the Spanish territory of Ceuta andis charged with leading a group that sent an estimated fifty jihadists to Syria.

United Kingdom

According to the 2011 census, approximately 2.7 million Muslims live in the UK. Since the 7/7 attacks 18 , home-grown terrorism remains a central concern for the countrys security services. Just recently, UK native SamanthaLewthawaite, the widow of one of the 7/7 bombers Jermaine Lindsay, has been sought by Interpol for hersuspected role in the Kenyan Westgate Mall attack, reports The Telegraph . In October, Scotland Yard arrested fourmen under the Terrorism Act 2000 on suspicion of the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism,reports The Telegraph . Earlier in September, British police arrested four people as part of an on-going investigationinto suspected terrorism in Syria, reports NBC News . Two of the suspects were apprehended as they entered thecountry at the port of Dover. The arrests were made in connection to the commission, preparation or instigationof acts of terrorism in Syria.

In 2000, the UK passed the Terrorism Act that provides the legal basis for prosecuting terrorists and proscribingorganisations. Since then, the UK has passed a series of laws 19 to address the evolving threat of terrorism. InOctober 2010, the government published a new National Security Strategy which identified terrorism as one of thefour highest risks facing the UK. In May 2013, the Economist reports that Secretary of State for the HomeDepartment of the United Kingdom Theresa May announced that the UK government could withdraw thepassports of those suspected of involvement in foreign terrorist activities. British intelligence justified the movewith three primary concerns: (i) British fighters may have already been inclined to carry out attacks on British soilbut lacked the expertise they might gain in the Syrian theatre; (ii) foreign fighters may be exposed to al Qaedaideology in Syria and recruited as potential leaders; and (iii) the prospect of a large, ungoverned space closelysituated to Europe could be the ideal staging groups for attacks in the UK and other European countries.

Authorities surmise that more than one hundred British Muslims have departed the UK to fight in Syria. Afterkidnapped British freelance photographer John Cantlie was released by British jihadists near the Syrian city of Idlibin July 2012, Ca ntlie expressed his shock at the number of disenchanted young Britons fighting in Syria.According to a Kings College of London study, the largest contingent of jihadists originates from the UK withestimates between 28 and 134 foreign fighters from the UK.

In October 2013, Secretary of State for the Home Department of the United Kingdom Theresa May claimed thatUK jihadists, receiving live training in the Syrian civil war and then returning home are already considered to besecurity threats by UK security agencies. In July 2013, the annual report of the Intelligence and SecurityCommittee of Parliament concluded that al Qaeda elements and individual jihadists in Syria currently representthe most worrying emerging terrorist threat to the UK and the West. Also, large numbers of rad icalisedindividuals have been attracted to [Syria], including significant numbers for the UK and Europe [who] are likely toacquire expertise and experience which could significantly increase the threat posed when they return home.Further, the report st ates that the UK threat level from international terrorism is SUBSTANTIAL, indicating that ana ttack is a strong possibility. Of particular interest, is the a growing trend for UK -resident extremists to joinIslamist elements of the opposition in Syria which is likely to form part of the terrorist threat picture for years tocome .

United StatesThe US hosts the most diverse Muslim population in the Western world and is estimated to have 2 to 3 millionMuslims identifying with different sects of Islam, reports AFPC. Sixty per cent of native-born Muslims identifythemselves as Sunnis, 5 per cent as Shia, and 24 per cent as ha ving no specific affiliation. Immigrated, foreign-born Muslims identify 68 per cent Sunnis, 14 per cent as Shia, and 10 per cent as non-specific. A large proportionof Muslims in the US are first generation immigrants (63 per cent), native born (37 per cent) and secondgeneration (15 per cent). Foreign-born Muslim Americans have come from at least 77 different countries. Twenty-six per cent of Muslim immigrants to the US come from the Middle East and North Africa, 9 per cent fromPakistan, 7 per cent from other South Asian countries including India, Bangladesh and Afghanistan, 7 per cent

18 7/7 Attacks refer to the 07 July 2005 London bombings, in which four suicide bombers killed 52 people and injured more than 770 incentral London. 19 The UK has numerous terrorism laws, secondary legislation and case-law addressing the legal response to the terrorism threat.
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come from Sub-Saharan Africa, 5 per cent come from Europe, and 3 per cent come from Iran. Eighty-one per centof all Muslim-Americans are US citizens.

In the months following the 9/11 attacks, the United States created the Uniting and Strengthening America byProviding Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism (USA PATRIOT ACT) Act of 2001. The Act

was directed towards the detection and investigation of terrorist activities. Since 2001, a plethora of legislation has been passed regarding counterterrorism activities. Additional policy measures have also been implemented.For instance, i n December 2009, Daniel Benjamin, then the State Departments Coordinator for Counterterrorism,announced the rollout of Countering Violent Extremism (CVE). The policy shares some commonalities with UKsPreventing Violent Extremism strategy. CVE focused on local communities prone to radicalisation. CVE attempts toaddress underlying conditions for at-risk populations, seeking to improve moderates ability to express views andstrengthen opposition to violence. CVE, which now operates under the Department of Homeland Security, isconsidered an important component of President Barack Obamas 2011 National Strategy on Empowering LocalPartners to Prevent Violent Extremism . Internationally, CVE collaborates with partners in Australia, Belgium,Canada, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain and the UK, in addition to international law enforcementorganisations such as Europol.

In May 2013, the Daily Mail reported that American Nichole Lynn Mansfield of Flint, Michigan was killed in Idlibprovince, Syria. Nicole Mansfield, a single mother was the first known American to be killed in Syrias civil war.Syrian state television reported that Mansfield was fighting with JAN while another Islamist group, Ahrar al Sham,also claimed that she was fighting with them. In October 2013, a North Carolina man was arrested after aFacebook posting said that he was on his way to join al Qaeda fighters in Syria, according to NBC News .Intelligence suggested that at least ten US citizens have signed up with al Qaeda-related groups in Syria, reportedNewsweeks Daily Beast in September. An October Newsweek article argues that the Federal Bureau ofInvestigation (FBI) estimates as many as 700 American Muslims are fighting in Syria.

The Collective Threat in Europe

A report published by the European Union indicates that seventy per cent of terrorist attacks in 2012 were relatedto separatist terrorism 20 . However, eight people were killed in six religiously inspired terrorism 21 attacks in 2012.In comparison, there were no deaths in 2011. Arrests related to religiously inspired violence increased from 122incidents in 2011 to 159 in 2012. Key conclusions in the Europol report revealed that the terrorist threat in the EU

remains strong and varied.

In July 2013, six people were killed in a French train accident when a train derailed shortly after leaving Paris. On24 July 2013, a train crashed on the approach to Santiago de Compostela Station in northern Spain killing eightypeople when it jumped the tracks and crashed into a wall. Santiago de Compostela is a Christian pilgrimagedestination and the crash occurred on the eve of one of Europes biggest Christian festivals. While investigatorsindicated that the crash was unrelated to terrorist activities, the Spanish crash stirred memories of a trainbombing in Madrid 2004 when Islamist terrorists killed 191 people. In August 2013, the German newspaper Bild

20 Separatist terrorism is violence carried out by separatist groups with the goal of separation from existing entities through independence,political autonomy or religious freedom or domination. Typically the ideologies separatists subscribe to include social just or equity, anti-imperialism, and the resistance to conquest or occupation by a foreign power. 21

Religiously inspired terrorism is on the rise. While Islamic terrorists and organisations have been the most active, all of the major worldreligions have extremists that have reverted violence to further their perceived religious goals. Religiously motivated terrorists see theirobjectives as holy writ, and therefore infallible and non-negotiable.

Figure 6: Failed, Foiled and Completed Attacks in EU (2012)

Source: Europol
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