2016 Balkans terrorism plot

Last updated
2016 Balkans terrorism plot
Location Kosovo
Macedonia
Albania
Date12 November 2016 (2016-11-12)
Targetinternational and state institutions in Albania, Kosovo and Macedonia
Attack type
Terror plot
No. of participants
25

Simultaneous attacks planned in Albania, Kosovo and Macedonia were thwarted in November 2016. [1] Nineteen people were arrested in Kosovo, and six more in Albania and Macedonia, for a total of twenty five arrests, making it one of the largest terror-related arrests in Europe in recent years. [2] Explosives, weapons, electronic equipment, and material related to extremist religious groups were seized during the raids following the arrests. [3] [ needs update ]

The suspects, planning "synchronized terror attacks," were receiving orders from Islamic State member Lavdrim Muhaxheri. [4] Between 4 and 16 November 2016, eighteen Kosovo Albanians and one Macedonian Albanian were arrested suspected of planning terrorist attacks in Kosovo and Albania. They were coordinated by Muhaxheri and fellow IS fighter Ridvan Haqifi. According to the prosecution, the terrorist group planned attacks on international and state institutions, ultimately with the intent to establish an Islamic state. Media reports state that Kosovo government institutions and Serbian Orthodox Church sites were potential targets. [5] Among the planned targets were the Israel national football team and their supporters during the Albania–Israel World Cup qualifying match. [6] [7]

In February 2017, Albania announced that it would join the counter-Islamic State efforts, and send troops to Iraq. Although it was not officially confirmed by the Albanian authorities, it is largely believed[ by whom? ] that this first active involvement of Albania in the fighting against ISIS in Iraq was triggered by the failed terror attack on Albanian soil three months earlier. [8] [9]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">General Intelligence Directorate (Jordan)</span> Jordanian intelligence agency

Jordanian General Intelligence Directorate, or GID is the primary civilian foreign and domestic intelligence agency of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. The GID is reportedly one of the most important and professional intelligence agencies in the Middle East; the agency has been instrumental in foiling several terrorist attacks both in Jordan and around the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Islamic State</span> Salafi jihadist militant Islamist group

The Islamic State (IS), also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and by its Arabic acronym Daesh, is a transnational Salafi jihadist group and a former unrecognised quasi-state. Its origins were in the Jai'sh al-Taifa al-Mansurah organization founded by Abu Omar al-Baghdadi in 2004, which fought alongside al-Qaeda during the Iraqi insurgency. The group gained global prominence in 2014, when its militants successfully captured large territories in northwestern Iraq and eastern Syria, taking advantage of the ongoing Syrian civil war. By the end of 2015, it ruled an area with an estimated population of twelve million people, where it enforced its extremist interpretation of Islamic law, managed an annual budget exceeding US$1 billion, and commanded more than 30,000 fighters.

Terrorism in Australia deals with terrorist acts in Australia as well as steps taken by the Australian government to counter the threat of terrorism. In 2004 the Australian government has identified transnational terrorism as also a threat to Australia and to Australian citizens overseas. Australia has experienced acts of modern terrorism since the 1960s, while the federal parliament, since the 1970s, has enacted legislation seeking to target terrorism.

Since the Iranian Revolution in 1979, the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran has been accused by several countries of training, financing, and providing weapons and safe havens for non-state militant actors, such as Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas in Gaza, and other Palestinian groups such as the Islamic Jihad (IJ) and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). These groups are designated terrorist groups by a number of countries and international bodies such as the EU, UN, and NATO; however, Iran considers such groups to be "national liberation movements" with a right to self-defense against Israeli military occupation. These proxies are used by Iran across the Middle East and Europe to foment instability, expand the scope of the Islamic Revolution, and carry out terrorist attacks against Western targets in the regions. Its special operations unit, the Quds Force, is known to provide arms, training, and financial support to militias and political movements across the Middle East, including Bahrain, Iraq, Lebanon, Palestine, Syria, and Yemen.

The 2007 bomb plot in Germany, planned by the al-Qaeda controlled Islamic Jihad Union (IJU), affiliated Sauerland terror cell, was discovered following an extensive nine-month investigation. That involved more than 600 agents in five German states. The number of agents involved in a counterterrorism operation led by the federal police had never been the case before. At the same time, Danish police in Copenhagen were busy with explosives. A Pakistani and an Afghan man have been charged with preparing to carry out their attacks under al-Qaeda plans. Authorities said they were unaware of any direct links between the terrorists arrested in the two European countries. Three men were arrested on 4 September 2007 while leaving a rented cottage in the Oberschledorn district of Medebach, Germany where they had stored 700 kg (1,500 lb) of a hydrogen peroxide-based mixture and 26 military-grade detonators, and were attempting to build car bombs. A supporter was arrested in Turkey. All four had attended an IJU-training camp in the border region between Afghanistan and Pakistan in 2006. They were convicted in 2010 and given prison sentences of varying lengths; all have since been released.

The fight against terrorisminAzerbaijan is one of Azerbaijan's declared priorities. International organizations banned as terrorist include Al Qaeda, Al-Nusra Front, Azerbaijani Jamaat, Hizb ut-Tahrir, Islamic International Brigade, ISIS, Jeyshullah, and PKK. According to the Global Terrorism Database, seven people have been killed and over 20 injured in terrorist attacks from 2000 to 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lavdrim Muhaxheri</span>

Lavdrim Muhaxheri, also known by the nom de guerreAbu Abdullah al Kosova, was a Kosovar Albanian Islamic State (IS) leader and recruiter of ethnic Albanian jihadi foreign fighters fighting in Syria and in Iraq. A former KFOR and NATO employee, he became an extremist and left for Syria in late 2012. He appeared in several propaganda videos, calling Albanians to join jihad, and uploaded photographs of himself appearing to decapitate a man, as well as a video where he kills a captive with a rocket. On 24 September 2014, the U.S. Department of State designated Muhaxheri as a global terrorist.

There has been an increase in incidents involving alleged radical Islamism in the Balkans since the 1990s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sheikh Omar Hadid Brigade</span> Islamist militant group active in the Gaza Strip

The Sheikh Omar Hadid Brigade, also known as Islamic State in Gaza, is an Islamist militant group affiliated with the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant that is active in the Gaza Strip. Its goals have consistently matched those of the Islamic State, in that it seeks to establish the al-Sham caliphate. As such, it opposes all forms of Palestinian nationalism while also supporting the elimination of all Jews and other ethno-religious 'infidels' from the region.

In late December 2015, authorities in several countries announced the discovery of attack plots, organized by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), targeting New Year's celebrations. Police in North America and Europe were on high alert in December 2015 because of a series of terrorist attacks and attack plots, including the November 2015 Paris attacks, and because of information picked up by security agencies indicating that militants might plan to attack public New Year's Eve celebrations.

On 24 July 2014, a suspected imminent terror attack by Islamic extremists targeting Norway was disclosed by Norwegian authorities. The suspected plot prompted a public terror alert announcement and unprecedented short-term security measures being introduced in Norway in late July.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Islamic terrorism in Europe</span> Islamic terrorist attacks and plots in Europe

Islamic terrorism in Europe has been carried out by the Islamic State (ISIL) or Al-Qaeda as well as Islamist lone wolves since the late 20th century. Europol, which releases the annual EU Terrorism Situation and Trend report (TE-SAT), used the term "Islamist terrorism" in the years 2006–2010, "religiously inspired terrorism" 2011–2014, and has used "jihadist terrorism" since 2015. Europol defines jihadism as "a violent ideology exploiting traditional Islamic concepts".

On 28 June 2016, a bar located in Puchong, Selangor, Malaysia, was attacked by two people who threw a grenade into the bar while 20 customers were watching the UEFA Euro 2016 match between Italy and Spain. The attack injured eight people, including one foreigner from China. The attackers left the scene on a motorcycle but were subsequently arrested. The attack was described as the first ever Islamic terror attack against the country perpetrated by Malaysians militants linked to Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2017 Tehran attacks</span> Series or terrorist attacks in Tehran, Iran

The 2017 Tehran attacks were a series of two simultaneous terrorist attacks that occurred on 7 June 2017 that were carried out by five terrorists belonging to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) against the Iranian Parliament building and the Mausoleum of Ruhollah Khomeini, both in Tehran, Iran, leaving 17 civilians dead and 43 wounded. The shootings were the first terrorist attacks in Tehran in more than a decade, and the first major terror attack in the country since the 2010 Zahedan bombings.

Four suspects were arrested without charge by Australian Federal Police on 29 July 2017 in Sydney on suspicion of an Islamic State inspired plot to plant a bomb on an Etihad Airways flight departing Sydney on 15 July 2017.

Ridvan Haqifi, also known by the nom de guerreAbu Muqatil al-Kosovo, was a Kosovo Albanian Islamic State (IS) leader and recruiter of ethnic Albanian jihadi foreign fighters fighting in Syria and in Iraq. He was born in Bukovik, Gjilan, Kosovo. He was a close associate with fellow Kosovo Albanian Lavdrim Muhaxheri. Both Haqifi and Muhaxheri were proteges of radical Kosovar Imam Zekerija Qazimi, who was found guilty and jailed for ten years in May 2016. Haqifi stood beside Muhaxheri and other ethnic Albanian mujahideen in the ISIS propaganda film in which they called Albanians to join their fight and then burnt their passports. His two brothers also fought in Syria. He was killed on 8 February 2017.

Zulfi Hoxha, also known by the nom de guerre (kunya) Abu Hamza al-Amriki, was an Albanian-American Islamic State (IS) senior commander and recruiter of foreign fighters fighting in Syria and in Iraq.

References

  1. Stanglin, Doug (17 November 2016). "Kosovo thwarts 'synchronized' Islamic State terror attacks". News. USA Today .
  2. Dearden, Lizzie (17 November 2016). "Isis attack on Israeli football team foiled by police at World Cup qualifier in Albania" . World News. The Independent . Archived from the original on 2022-05-01.
  3. Veselinovic, Milena (17 November 2016). "ISIS attack on Israeli soccer team thwarted, Kosovo police say". Europe. CNN .
  4. Homeland Security Committee (December 2016). Terror Threat Snapshot (PDF) (Report). The United States House of Representatives. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-04-30. Retrieved 2017-03-31.
  5. "Lavdrim Muhaxheri, ISIS Warrior, Remains Threat to Kosovo". Balkan Insight. 18 November 2016.
  6. "ISIS Attack on Israeli National Soccer Team Foiled: Kosovo Cops". ISIS Terror. NBC News . 17 November 2016.
  7. Squires, Nick (30 March 2017). "Italian police break up alleged jihadist cell that planned to attack Venice's Rialto Bridge". The Telegraph. Retrieved 3 April 2017.
  8. "ISIS target World Cup qualifier: European country reacts with fury to bomb and drone plot". terror-alert.com. WorldAlert. 1 March 2017. Retrieved 30 March 2017.
  9. "Albanian Defense Minister announces initiative to deploy troops to Iraq". NRT News . 1 March 2017.