Police treating with caution reports of extremists heading to Europe
Print Edition
POLICE have been alerted to the possibility that small groups of extremists have left Syria for France and Belgium with plans to stage attacks, but have not raised threat levels as authorities determine how credible the information is.
Belgian intelligence services sent a note to French counterparts about the possible groups, and it was sent to police and anti-terrorism forces across France on Tuesday, a French security official said yesterday.
French authorities remain “very cautious” about the information because they receive such notes routinely, the official said. Belgian officials are cautious too, as the information is believed to be from a single intelligence source and hasn’t been confirmed elsewhere.
France and Belgium are already on high alert since the Islamic State group attack on Paris last year that killed 130 people and the March suicide attacks in Brussels that left 32 people dead. IS has also threatened violence during the Euro 2016 soccer tournament taking place across France this month.
French and Belgian officials said the information did not change their governments’ overall understanding of the threat.
In Belgium, the information “has no direct impact on the current threat level,” according to Crisis Center spokesman Peter Mertens. The threat analysis center said it is keeping Belgium’s security alert status at its current level of three out of a possible four, which means the threat is considered serious, possible and probable.
Belgium’s Derniere Heure tabloid reported that Belgium’s anti-terror office has warned police that fighters with access to weapons could have left Syria about 10 days ago bound for Belgium and France. It was the latest of several recent reports that fighters from Syria could pose an imminent threat.
The paper said fighters traveling without passports were believed to be trying to reach Europe by boat via Turkey and Greece. A Brussels shopping mall, an American fast-food chain and police could be among their targets. Belgian authorities said such targets are already under surveillance.
Given the heightened security fears in France at present, it would not be uncommon for Belgian authorities to pass on information without immediately verifying its credibility, said a security official with knowledge of the Belgian intelligence information.
“The information regarding the possibility of a threat emanating from Syria, however, has not yet been verified,” the official said. “It is also important to remember that credible intelligence shows there are hundreds of fighters already in Europe ready to strike. They are the real threat.”
Since the recent attacks, there is pressure for European security officials to share most of the information they get, even if it turns out to be false, the official said. He said this is especially true given the attack in France, the Orlando shootings and security fears over the soccer tournament.
It’s not the first report that fighters might have been dispatched to Europe since the March 22 suicide attacks on the Brussels airport and subway. On April 19, Crisis Center chief Paul Van Tigchelt said there were signals from Islamic State that fighters had been sent to Europe, including Belgium.
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