Upswing Of European Jihadist Arrests Preceeded London Attack

by Kathleen Ridolfo

A group calling itself the Al-Qaeda of Jihad in Europe has claimed responsibility for the July 7 attacks on the London transport system that left at least 37 dead and hundreds wounded, according to a statement posted on the Internet.

The group called its attacks on the London Underground and buses "a blessed raid," adding: "We have repeatedly warned the British government and people. We have fulfilled our promise and carried out our blessed military raid in Britain after our mujahedin exerted strenuous efforts over a long period of time to ensure the success of the raid."

The statement warned the governments of Italy and Denmark "and all the crusader governments" that they would be punished if they do not withdraw their troops from Iraq and Afghanistan. The July 7 attacks may be retaliation for a crackdown by European states including the United Kingdom in recent months against Islamic militants.

The London attacks are reminiscent of the Madrid train bombings carried out by an Al-Qaeda-affiliated group on March 2004 in retaliation for Spain's participation in coalition forces in Iraq. Those attacks left 191 people dead and prompted Spain to pull out of Iraq.

The extent of the presence of Al-Qaeda and its affiliated groups in Europe has come to light in recent months after a series of arrests and investigations in Germany, France, Great Britain, Italy, Spain, and the Netherlands. The success of such networks lies in the fact that they are "homegrown," operated by Muslims living in European states who know the terrain and possess European passports that enable them to move easily throughout Europe and the Middle East. A number of jihadist websites supporting Al-Qaeda have reportedly boasted about the group's European martyrs in Iraq in recent weeks, and Iraq-based terrorist leader Abu Mus'ab al-Zarqawi has appealed to Muslims in Europe to join Al-Qaeda.

Many of the suspected terrorist leaders in Europe gained experience in Afghanistan in the 1990s, while others may be new recruits bent on seeking what they see as justice against the United States and its allies for a whole range of transgressions -- be they economic or political -- but most notably for the multinational operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. Terrorist networks across Europe that were reportedly dormant have been reactivated in the past six months, making Europe a major center for recruiting suicide bombers -- ahead of the Middle East, North Africa, and Asia, London's "The Observer" reported on June 19.

The report cited unidentified intelligence sources as saying that there are up to 21 networks active in Europe, some of which are linked to over 60 groups in North Africa -- not surprising since the majority of Muslim immigrants to Europe come from the North African states of Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisia. The networks are responsible for training and recruiting volunteers, particularly for jihadist operations in Iraq, the report contended.

A May 17 statement by German Interior Minister Otto Schily cited Islamist extremism and terrorism as the "greatest threat" to national security. Schily cited the 2004 "Protection of the Constitution Report" as saying the number of "members and followers" of Islamist organizations in Germany is 31,800, with the number of "potentially extremist foreigners" in Germany at approximately 57,500. The statement did not allude to the classification guidelines that produced those numbers.

Schily added in his statement that 171 preliminary proceedings have been initiated in Germany against suspected Islamist militants, including one person arrested on January 24 who is suspected of taking part in Al-Qaeda training camps in Afghanistan "on several occasions." That person admitted to having been instructed by Al-Qaeda to recruit suicide assassins in Europe.

Since December, at least 30 people have been arrested in Germany for their alleged role in Islamist terror networks, including at least six members of Ansar Al-Islam, the Iraq-based group that grew into the Ansar Al-Sunnah Army, which is affiliated with Abu Mus'ab al-Zarqawi's Tanzim Qa'idat Al-Jihad fi Bilad Al-Rafidayn. Ansar Al-Islam's founder and spiritual leader, Mullah Krekar, has been living in Norway since 1991.

Members of Ansar Al-Islam-affiliated groups have also been arrested in France in recent weeks. Seven people were arrested on June 21 as part of a French judicial investigation into networks that recruit and provide logistical support to Al-Qaeda in Iraq. The arrests marked the fourth operation this year by French intelligence against Islamist networks operating in support of militants in Iraq.

Meanwhile, the Algerian Salafi Group for Preaching and Combat has reportedly formed an alliance with al-Zarqawi's group to target French nationals in Iraq and worldwide, London's "Al-Sharq al-Awsat" reported on July 3. The Algerian group is targeting France for "supporting the Algerian regime," the newspaper reported.

In one recent UK operation, police arrested one man in Manchester in late June on suspicion that he was recruiting suicide bombers in Britain to attack multinational forces in Iraq. The threat to Britain was well-known after 9/11, when intelligence indicated the presence of a number of radical groups in the country, who recruited British Muslims through various means, including English-language propaganda and the establishment of "study cells" on university campuses, "Jane's Intelligence Digest" noted in December 2003.