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Europe Confronts Rising Terror Threats with Over a Million Asylum Seekers Arriving

by Emmitt Barry, Worthy News Correspondent

(Worthy News) – European authorities have disrupted several terrorism plots, some involving suspects masquerading as refugees, raising concerns about the number of increasing threats from extremists, some of which are motivated by Israel’s war against Hamas, according to the Wall Street Journal.

In a covert operation last December, authorities in Austria and Bosnia apprehended Afghan and Syrian refugee groups found with weapons, including Kalashnikov rifles and pistols, plus ammunition. The discovery of images of Jewish and Israeli sites in Europe on the suspects’ phones suggested their motivations were tied to the Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza.

Late last year, Germany’s Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution warned of an increased threat to Jews and Jewish institutions across Europe due to the Gaza conflict mobilizing various groups, including Hamas. In response, German authorities, in collaboration with Dutch law enforcement, launched raids targeting Hamas affiliates. They arrested four individuals accused of planning attacks on Jewish locations in Berlin and elsewhere in Europe, utilizing a secret weapons cache buried years earlier by Hamas.

German officials have observed that the Gaza conflict has led to increased propaganda, recruitment, and fundraising by Hamas and Hezbollah and their European allies, notably after Hamas’s attack on October 7, boosting European financial support for the terrorist organizations.  Moreover, they’ve expanded their online presence and encouraged protests across European cities. While traditionally, Europe acted as an economic and operational haven for these organizations, recent actions against Hamas suggest a new focus on orchestrating attacks within Europe, specifically against Jewish and Israeli targets, according to international security officials.

Italian authorities announced on Monday the arrest of three Palestinians believed to be affiliated with the Al Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigade, a faction recognized as a terrorist organization by both the U.S. and the European Union. According to the Italian National Police, these individuals were plotting to strike civilian and military sites across Europe.

Starting in 2015, Europe experienced a wave of attacks primarily fueled by, and at times directly coordinated by, the Islamic State, a Sunni terrorist group based in Syria and Iraq. Many of the perpetrators behind the 2015 Paris attacks infiltrated under the pretense of being refugees from Syria and Iraq.

Last year, the EU received a record number of applications for refugee status, totaling over a million. This surge has raised concerns among officials about potential threats, as some applicants may not genuinely seek asylum but whose aim is to orchestrate terrorist activities across Europe.

Also disclosed in the Wall Street Journal report, authorities detained a group of Tajik nationals accused of planning attacks on Cologne Cathedral in Germany and St. Stephen’s Cathedral in Vienna during the Christmas season, a time when hundreds celebrating the holiday visit both churches.