Several terror attacks. Deadly counter-terrorism raids. And the arrests of suspected jihadists from France to Greece to Belgium.
European Union officials are scrambling to stop the spread of terrorism and threats, with foreign ministers meeting in Brussels on Monday to tackle the issue.
“We start with obviously a discussion on how to counter terrorism, not only in Europe but also in other parts of the world,” EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Federica Mogherini said.
She said she had just met with Arab League Secretary-General Nabil el-Araby “as the threat is not only the one we faced in Paris, but also spreading in many other parts of the world starting from Muslim countries. And we need to strengthen our way of cooperating together, first of all with Arab countries, and then internally.”
France is still grappling with a series of terror attacks this month that left 17 people dead — including 12 people in an attack at the offices of the Charlie Hebdo satirical newspaper.
Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, al Qaeda’s Yemen affiliate, claimed responsibility for the Charlie Hebdo shooting.
And the gunman who killed four hostages at a kosher grocery store in Paris, Amedy Coulibaly, had proclaimed his allegiance to another foreign terror group –the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. Coulibaly, who also killed an officer, died in a police raid.
As part of the EU discussions, foreign ministers will also examine safety measures such as passenger name records within Europe, Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said.
Threats infiltrate Belgium
Five Belgian nationals have been charged with participation in a terrorist organization after police raided a suspect terror cell in Verviers last week, federal prosecutor Erik Van Der Sypt said.
And two additional suspects are in French custody after they were detained while trying to cross from France into Italy, Van Der Sypt said.
He said a suspected terror cell in Verviers, which included people returning from Syria, planned to target police officers. Police raided an apartment in Venviers and killed two suspects.
A third person, Marouane El Bali, was taken into custody. He faces charges of participation in a terrorist organization and possession of explosives with intent to commit a criminal attack, among other charges, his attorney Didier De Quévy said.
But De Quévy said his client was not involved in any terrorism. He said his client was in the Verviers apartment to bring a pair of shoes to his friend.
While Belgium is one of the smaller countries in Europe, it’s also vulnerable to terrorism: Belgium is believed to have more suspected jihadists per capita than any other country in Western Europe.
Two more people wanted in France
Could DNA found on a dead terror suspect’s belongings lead to more terrorists in Europe?
Investigators are looking for two people whose DNA was found on the belongings Coulibaly, the man behind the deadly Paris kosher store siege, a source with knowledge of the investigation told CNN.
The DNA of one was found on a gun magazine belonging to Coulibaly, the source said.
The second sample was found in a car.
Greek police arrest Algerian wanted in Belgium
Greek authorities arrested a 33-year-old Algerian man on Sunday who was wanted in Belgium on charges of terrorist activity, Greek police said Monday.
Belgian authorities are requesting an extradition.
Greek police said they have made multiple arrests and are looking for more individuals.
ISIS: A European threat from abroad
Perhaps one of the greatest terror threats in Europe comes from ISIS, the radical Islamist group that has been trying to establish an Islamic state across Sunni swaths of Iraq and Syria.
ISIS is suspected of running large training facilities in Syria and has access to thousands of potential European recruits.
The terror group directed operatives to return to Europe to launch attacks in retaliation for airstrikes against the terror group in Syria and Iraq, the official said. Authorities are monitoring groups of men who have returned to Europe from fighting in Syria.
Several European nations, including the United Kingdom, France, Belgium and the Netherlands, are participating in the air campaign against ISIS in Iraq.
