NDB currently has 41 jihadists in its sights: Intelligence service considers the terrorist threat in Switzerland to be “increased”

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Since the brutal killings by Hamas, fear of Islamist-motivated terrorist attacks has increased again in many European cities. Several countries have drastically increased the terrorist threat after the attack in Brussels last Monday.

As a European island of peace, Switzerland is not exempt from such dangers. There is also a radical Islamic scene in this country that sees violence as a legitimate means. When the radical Islamic terrorist militia IS was at its peak in 2014, several sympathizers from Switzerland traveled to Syria to wage jihad. Now the Islamic scene is experiencing a new heyday after the Hamas attack.

But what is the situation in Switzerland? The Federal Intelligence Service (NDB) currently assesses the terrorist threat against Switzerland as “increased” given current developments in the Middle East.

Gatherings of people could be targeted

“The threat is primarily posed by the jihadist movement,” an NDB spokeswoman told “Tages Anzeiger”. The most plausible terrorist scenario for Switzerland currently is an act of violence committed by a jihadist-inspired individual with a simple modus operandi. “According to the NDB’s assessment, this attack would target weakly protected targets, such as gatherings of people, and would require limited logistical and organizational resources,” the spokeswoman continued.

The NDB currently has no evidence of specific attack plans. However, the intelligence service has several people in its sights who are considered potential attackers. “Currently, 41 people are classified as so-called risk groups,” the NDB says. They are individuals who represent “an increased risk and a primary threat to the internal and external security of Switzerland.”

The process of identifying potential threats is complex. This is determined on the basis of “very precise criteria, in which a specific reference to violence is decisive”. According to the NDB, the people are continuously reported to the Federal Bureau of Police (Fedpol) and the Federal Public Prosecution Service. The police are then responsible for ensuring that these people are closely and extensively monitored.

The number of potential threats has decreased

If these people become further radicalized, the NDB can request, among other things, an entry ban, deportation or withdrawal of residence status. If criminal activity is also suspected, the cases will be reported to law enforcement authorities.

The number of people at risk has fallen by 16 percent over the past three years. What is worrying, however, is that about 10 percent more people in Switzerland are active on suspicious websites, social media and forums. Since 2012, the FIS has identified 743 such users who have spread jihadist ideas on the Internet in or from Switzerland. (ced)

Source: Blick