FOUR ARRESTS OF jihadist terror suspects were made in Ireland last year, a new report has found.
The EU Terrorism Situation and Trend Report (TE-SAT) is produced by Europol on an annual basis and is used by police forces and policy makers across the European community to devise strategies against terrorists.
The study reveals that four Jihadist terrorism suspects were arrested in Ireland in 2021.
There was one right-wing terror suspect, seven dissident republican or loyalist suspects and two which were not specified in the data given to Europol.
No details are given in regard to the Jihadist arrests.
The report found that there are mounting concerns around the efforts of suspected right wing terrorists to launch so-called lone-wolf attacks, with one suspect arrested last year. His case is currently before the courts.
Catherine De Bolle, Executive Director of Europol, warned that some of the Covid-19 public health measures introduced in 2020 could lead more people to be radicalised.
“The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on terrorism was particularly visible in terms of shaping extremist narratives.
“This has made some individuals more vulnerable to radicalisation and recruitment into terrorism and extremism.
Social isolation and more time spent online have exacerbated the risks posed by violent extremist propaganda and terrorist content, particularly among younger people and minors.
The societal impact of the Covid-19 pandemic will stay with us for some time and we must remain vigilant about some of the long-term challenges that follow on from this unprecedented crisis.
De Bolle warned that the war in Ukraine could be used as an opportunity by groups to exploit it as an opportunity for violence, with extremists joining the fight on either side.
“Moreover, the ongoing war is likely to spark violent extremist reactions and mobilisation, particularly in the online domain.
“We must continue to closely monitor these developments while taking heed of the lessons learnt in the past in dealing with foreign fighters returning from battlefields in the Middle East,” she added.
Deep dive
The report is a detailed examination of the current terrorist situation across the globe and provides a deep dive into the culture of various groups.
It also looks extensively at Ireland’s terror groups and examines how they function and recruit.
It reports that there are two groups associated with violent republicanism in Ireland, the new Irish Republican Army (nIRA) and the Continuity Irish Republican Army (CIRA). It defines them as Dissident Republicans (DR).
It also examines groups within the loyalist community which it says are committed to violence and helped inflame riots in April 2021 in which more than 100 police officers were injured.
On the republican side it said the nIRA continued to be the dominant group and “remained engaged in attack planning” and that the CIRA was limited to small geographical areas. Both groups depend on a support network in Northern Ireland and in the Republic.
“No terrorist attacks were perpetrated by DR groups in (EU) member states.
“Disruption by law enforcement and the Covid-19 restrictions has had a suppressive effect and the number of attacks in Northern Ireland continued to drop, with two failed attacks on national security targets reported in 2021,” the report found.
It warned that the unsettling effects of Brexit were having a profound impact on how the terror groups were acting on both sides of the divide.
“There is a growing perception in the loyalist community that their identity and culture is under threat,” the report found.
“DRs and other paramilitary groups (loyalist organisations) continued to engage in violence and intimidation against their own communities.
Their activities included minor and serious criminality, such as drug trafficking, extortion, fuel laundering and murder.
Right wing
Europol believe that there is a well developed terrorist threat from disparate groups of groups and aligned individuals who adhere to the ideals of right wing white supremacy dogma.
The report said that many of these groups follow the SIEGE manifesto which is a document used by extremists as a guiding principle for their belief systems.
It is an ideology inspired by a 563-page book, written by American USA neo-Nazi James Mason, written in the 1980s.
SIEGE promotes “leaderless, cell structured terrorism and white revolution”. It calls on neo-Nazis to go underground and begin a guerrilla war against “the system”. Mason’s writing lauds Adolf Hitler, murderer Charles Manson’s Helter Skelter and William Pierce, the author of the Turner Diaries.
The Turner Diaries is a novel which depicts an imaginary breakdown of the political system in the USA and allegedly ensuing ‘race war’ .
The adherents of SIEGE also believe in the theory of Accelerationism which is based on the idea that Western Governments are irreparably corrupt and believe that they need to accelerate their collapse by using violence against minorities.
The report found that most of those involved across Europe in right-wing extremism take their lead from influential US based groups such as The Base, Hammerskin Nation and Nationalist Social Club.
In terms of the profile of those involved in these activities it found that they were as young as 12 and raised in ages to 40-years-old. They are “overwhelmingly” male with interests in Mixed Martial Arts, music or football hooliganism.
They also have distinctive tattoos and specific attire. The report also found that members of the groups have “psychological and/or socioeconomic problems”.
Africa
While the report focuses on the presence of terror suspects on the European mainland it also looks at locations around the world which may, because of growing instability, send terrorists to Europe to commit atrocities.
Also covered in broad detail is the issue of African based jihadists groups – particularly in the troubled Sahel region around Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso. They also take a look at the gathering threat from the Horn of Africa – particularly around Somalia.
“While global terrorist organisations mainly operate outside the EU, they pose a threat to the EU insofar as they may also orchestrate attacks against EU targets and calls for action may inspire sympathisers in the EU to commit acts of violence.
“Member States remain targets for jihadist terrorist propaganda and attacks, especially from groups active in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), in the Sahel region, the Horn of Africa and in Central Asia,” it said.
Through out 2021, no known plots were devised by terrorist groups in the Sahel region to target European territory.
“Their declared focus is to drive western, especially French, security and economic presence out of the region,” it said.
In West Africa Islamic State has two branches: the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) and the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS).
The latter officially being a subunit of the former. While ISWAP operates around the Lake Chad Basin and in north-eastern Nigeria, ISGS is primarily active in the triangle border region of Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso (the so-called Liptako-Gourma region).
The report warns that while large scale attacks such as those perpetrated in Paris and London are still possible the biggest threat comes from “lone actors” or “lone-wolf” terrorists.
“Attack plots involving several actors were also disrupted in 2021, individuals carrying out attacks alone have been associated mainly with jihadist terrorism and right-wing terrorism and violent extremism.
“This does not necessarily mean that these individuals act in complete isolation. Online community building often plays a key role, as it connects peers virtually on a global scale.
“This drives radicalisation and provides access to terrorist propaganda, instructional material and opportunities for procurement of weapons and explosives precursors,” the report found.
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