Switzerland: Jihadism biggest security threat

Terrorist attacks by Islamic extremists pose the greatest threat to Switzerland's internal security.


The Federal Police said on Friday that the threat was real even though it had no evidence of any attacks being planned in recent years. [ed: not counting a plot to blow up an El-Al plane in Geneva]


The director of the Federal Police office, Jean-Luc Vez, said in the introduction to the internal security report for 2007 that "western Europe is a hotbed of jihadism and Switzerland is located in the centre of this danger zone".


"In western Europe, particularly in Britain, Denmark, Germany, France and Spain, security forces uncovered operational cells whose members were chiefly residents of the respective countries," the report explained.


"Moreover, it has become apparent that the network around core Al-Qaeda members in Pakistan maintains operational links to Europe."


Last year, four alleged Islamists in Switzerland were either convicted or deported on charges of supporting a terrorist criminal organisation, making public calls to violence or violating laws on racism.


"It is not only jihadism which endangers [Switzerland's] internal security," Vez added. "Organised crime is also a threat, as is politically motivated violence."

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Source: SwissInfo (English)

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