Fears in Europe of Possible Terrorist Attacks

Mourners light candles at the Christmas market in Berlin, Germany, December 20, 2016, one day after a truck ploughed into a crowded Christmas market in the German capital. (PHOTO: REUTERS/HANNIBAL HANSCHKE)
Mourners light candles at the Christmas market in Berlin, Germany, December 20, 2016, one day after a truck ploughed into a crowded Christmas market in the German capital. (PHOTO: REUTERS/HANNIBAL HANSCHKE)
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Fears in Europe of Possible Terrorist Attacks

Mourners light candles at the Christmas market in Berlin, Germany, December 20, 2016, one day after a truck ploughed into a crowded Christmas market in the German capital. (PHOTO: REUTERS/HANNIBAL HANSCHKE)
Mourners light candles at the Christmas market in Berlin, Germany, December 20, 2016, one day after a truck ploughed into a crowded Christmas market in the German capital. (PHOTO: REUTERS/HANNIBAL HANSCHKE)

A recent report published by the Soufan Center — a Washington-based security intelligence consultancy group— warned of possible terrorist attacks in Europe and elsewhere, in the wake of the return, from Syria and Iraq, of at least 5,600 citizens or residents from 33 different countries, accounting for about 15 percent of the militants.

The report entitled, “Beyond the Caliphate: Foreign Fighters and the Threat of Returnees,” released this week by the Center, said that the return of militants represented a tremendous challenge to the security bodies in the respective countries, pointing out that more than 40 thousand foreigners have joined ISIS before and after the announcement of the formation of the alleged 'Caliphate' in June 2014, and that some of them would remain committed to “violent jihad”, as called for by ISIS and al-Qaeda.

The report highlighted problems facing women and children who had joined ISIS and presented an overview of the policies adopted by European governments regarding the return of foreign militants.

According to the report, Russia sent the largest number of European extremists to ISIS in Syria and Iraq (3,417), followed by France (1,910), Germany (900), Britain (425), Sweden (267), Spain (204) and Italy (110).

In remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat, Sheikh Nabil Naeem, a former leader of the Jihad group in Egypt, said that the returnees from ISIS to their countries are divided into two types: those who hate the experience they had with ISIS and are willing to re-integrate in the society, and those who cannot accept rehabilitation as they are strongly committed to their extremist ideology and could possibly form dormant terrorist cells in their homeland.

In January, European investigations and reports confirmed that ISIS had adopted a plan to return foreign militants to Europe after signing special forms including their intention to carry out operations in the Old Continent.

Observers stress that this was a “ticking bomb, which could explode at any time and anywhere in the world”.



Anti-war Demonstrators Protest the Arrival of an Israeli Cruise Ship on the Greek Island of Crete

 Pro-Palestinians protesters gather during the departure of a ship carrying Israeli tourists, background, in Agios Nikolaos port, on the island of Crete, Greece, Tuesday, July 29, 2025. (Antonis Zouridakis/Eurokinissi via AP)
Pro-Palestinians protesters gather during the departure of a ship carrying Israeli tourists, background, in Agios Nikolaos port, on the island of Crete, Greece, Tuesday, July 29, 2025. (Antonis Zouridakis/Eurokinissi via AP)
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Anti-war Demonstrators Protest the Arrival of an Israeli Cruise Ship on the Greek Island of Crete

 Pro-Palestinians protesters gather during the departure of a ship carrying Israeli tourists, background, in Agios Nikolaos port, on the island of Crete, Greece, Tuesday, July 29, 2025. (Antonis Zouridakis/Eurokinissi via AP)
Pro-Palestinians protesters gather during the departure of a ship carrying Israeli tourists, background, in Agios Nikolaos port, on the island of Crete, Greece, Tuesday, July 29, 2025. (Antonis Zouridakis/Eurokinissi via AP)

Demonstrators calling for an end to the war in Gaza protested the arrival of an Israeli cruise ship on another Greek island Tuesday – the third such protest on Greek islands in the last week.

Protesters on the southern Greek island of Crete unfurled a huge Palestinian flag at the port of Agios Nikolaos and shouted “Free, free Palestine” as the tourists on board the Crown Iris disembarked and left on buses for their tours of the island, according to images shown on local media outlets.

Riot police kept the crowd away from the pier where the cruise ship was docked, while scuffles broke out between demonstrators and police. Local media reported that officers used pepper spray at one point to keep the crowd back.

Four people were detained, local media said. Video showed police leading one man away, his arms cuffed behind his back, as he shouted “Free, free Palestine.”

Similar scenes unfolded the previous day when the Crown Iris docked in a port on the eastern Greek island of Rhodes, where clashes broke out between riot police and demonstrators calling for an end to the war in Gaza. There also, the cruise ship’s passengers disembarked for tours of the island, and no violence was reported.

Anti-war protesters on Greece’s Cycladic island of Syros were the first to hold a demonstration against the docking of the Crown Iris, on July 22. The crowd of about 150 people chanted slogans and carried banners that read “Stop the Genocide” and “No a/c in hell” — a reference to the conditions Palestinians face in the Gaza Strip.

On that occasion, the ship’s roughly 1,700 passengers didn't disembark and the ship left the island earlier than planned, with the company operating the trip, Israel’s Mano Cruise, saying it had “decided in light of the situation in the city of Syros to now sail to another tourist destination.”

Last week's incident had triggered a phone call by Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar to Greek counterpart George Gerapetritis.

Greece is a popular tourist destination for Israelis on package tours and traveling independently, particularly in the summer months, and there are several flights per day between Tel Aviv and Athens, as well as from Israeli airports directly to Greek islands.