Hundreds of jihadists are set free: an expert warns of further attacks

BERLIN. Terrorism expert Peter R. Neumann has warned of further Islamist terrorist attacks in Europe. "The great danger is currently that hundreds of jihadists will come out of prisons in Europe in the next few months," said the professor for security studies at King's College London to RedaktionsNetzwerk Deutschland on Wednesday.

Most of the Islamists were sentenced after 2010, albeit with relatively short prison terms. “Hundreds of them will be released in the near future and not all are deradicalized. Few countries have prepared for this challenge. This strategic gap must be closed quickly,” demanded Neumann.

The Islamist scene was demoralized and divided after the fall of the Islamic State. The dispute over the Mohammed caricatures and the recent attacks in France, however, mobilized and led to new attacks. “The attacks carried out are intended to trigger further attacks. That means: Islamist terrorism is not as dangerous as it was five years ago. But it is more dangerous than a year ago because a new basic tension is emerging in the scene. "It will remain dangerous throughout Europe for the coming months.

Vienna attack: "Security authorities made mistakes"
In relation to the Schwäbische news portal, Neumann criticized the use of the term "lonely wolf". The term implies “that the person does not communicate with others and is only radicalized through Internet videos. But with a few exceptions, that is not the pattern. "The perpetrator in Vienna was also not a lonely wolf who came out of nowhere, he was part of the jihadist scene. "The security authorities made a mistake."

There is also no central, driving force behind such attacks. “But the ideological seeds have long been sown. Strategies and tactics are common. The doctrine of the radical Muslims is also clear. “It says: You can do what you want, with all means at your disposal. No management team has to repeat that."

Source: Junge Freiheit