European countries strengthen terror alert after Russian concert hall attack

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European countries have issued the latest warning after an attack on a concert hall in Russia.

Following France’s lead, Italy has also strengthened its security following the attack on a concert hall on the outskirts of Moscow and claims by members of the Islamic State group that they were responsible for the attack.

The attack renewed attention in Europe about the risks posed by extremists, particularly affiliates in Central Asia, as the country prepares for major events such as the Paris Olympics and the European Championships in Germany.

On Sunday, France raised its alert status to its highest level. In Italy, a meeting of the National Security Council on Monday decided to increase security during Holy Week events in the run-up to Easter this weekend.

Italy’s Interior Ministry said in a statement that it would step up both surveillance and inspections, paying “the greatest attention to areas where people pass through in the highest concentration and to sensitive targets.” Pope Francis has a busy schedule of events in Rome and the Vatican in the days leading up to Easter.

In Germany, Interior Ministry spokesman Cornelius Funke said the threat from Islamic extremism “remains serious” but that authorities’ risk assessment had not changed so far as a result of the Moscow attack.

In Serbia, secret police officers with machine guns were seen patrolling the streets of Belgrade over the weekend. President Aleksandar Vučić said plainclothes police would monitor the capital’s sports venues and shopping malls. The move was criticized by Vučić’s opponents as unnecessary and aimed at scaring the public.

Various Islamic State group affiliates, including ISIS-K, IS-K, and ISPK, claimed responsibility for the Moscow attack, a claim acknowledged by U.S. and other Western officials. The affiliate has carried out repeated attacks in Afghanistan since the Taliban took power in 2021.

A suicide bombing at Kabul airport in August 2021 killed 13 U.S. soldiers and about 170 Afghans during a chaotic U.S. withdrawal. It also claimed responsibility for the bomb attack that killed 95 people at a memorial procession in Kerman, Iran, in January.

However, it is also active in Europe and has attracted the attention of authorities.

“As far as we know, it is currently the most aggressive Islamic State-related group,” said Germany’s Interior Ministry’s Germany’s Interior Ministry’s Germany’s Germany’s Germany’s Interior Ministry’s Dr. Funke. ing.

These include an alleged plot to prompt authorities to tighten security at Cologne Cathedral over Christmas and, most recently, a plot to attack police near the Swedish Parliament in response to the burning of copies of the Koran. These include two Afghan men who were arrested last week on suspicion of committing crimes. holy book of islam.

French President Emmanuel Macron has said that Paris intelligence agencies have pointed to an “IS entity” as the culprit for the Moscow attack and believes the group is behind several attempted attacks in France in recent months. He said that it would be possible.

Although he did not specifically name IS-K, he said during a visit to French Guiana that it was the reason France had increased its alert status as a “precautionary measure.”