European Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson issued a stark warning on Tuesday, highlighting a significant threat of terror attacks in the European Union ahead of Christmas. She attributed this heightened risk to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, particularly the war between Israel and Hamas, which has led to increased polarization within European societies.
Johansson’s concerns were underscored by recent events, such as the attack near the Eiffel Tower in Paris last weekend, where a German man lost his life and others were injured. The perpetrator had reportedly pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group.
Johansson emphasized the unfortunate recurrence of such incidents, citing a stabbing at a school in Arras in October, treated as a terrorist act, and Germany’s domestic spy agency warning of an elevated risk of attacks by radicalized Islamists within the country. European Home Affairs
The Commissioner also pointed out the rise in antisemitic crimes in several European countries since the October 7 attack by the Palestinian militant group Hamas, which resulted in 1,200 casualties and the taking of hundreds of hostages. The subsequent conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza has claimed over 15,000 Palestinian lives, according to both the Palestinian Authority and Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry.
Johansson, whose brief includes security and immigration, said the European Commission will provide an additional 30 million euros ($32.5 million) to bolster security in vulnerable areas, notably places of worship.
German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser sent her condolences to France over the weekend attack and said it highlights “just how acute and how serious the threat posed by Islamist terrorism is currently in the EU.”
“The war in Gaza and Hamas’ terror are exacerbating this situation,” she told reporters.
Faeser said she had spoken with her counterparts from Austria, Belgium, France, Spain and Sweden about the risks.
“Our security agencies are working very closely together. We must keep a particularly close eye on the Islamist threats right now and take action against Islamist propaganda together with neighboring countries,” she said.
A 15-year-old boy and an alleged accomplice were accused last week of plotting to blow up a small truck at a Christmas market in the west of Germany in an attack modeled on the methods of the Islamic State group, prosecutors said.