Return of Euro-Jihadis a Threat to America
By Bill West
Today, the Washington Times ran a report that publicizes a threat known for some time to Western intelligence and law enforcement agencies. This is the threat posed by radical Islamic Jihadis from Europe who infiltrated into Iraq to fight with al-Qaeda forces there who are now beginning to return to their Euro-homelands. These combat experienced and battle-hardened terrorist veterans, estimated to be at least in the high hundreds, who not only possess violent extremist Islamic radicalization but European citizenship, will prove to be a major challenge to the security forces of Europe. There is surely no reason to believe these hardened Jihadi fighters will leave their violent ways behind in Iraq.
European intelligence and police agencies are not alone in being concerned about these returning terrorists. As European citizens, on the surface many of these Jihadi fighters would be eligible to enter the United States under the generous Visa Waiver Program that allows citizens of 27 countries, mostly Western and Northern European countries, to temporarily enter the US without a visa...solely on their passport...for up to 90 days as a visitor. It is therefore critically important these Euro-terrorists be as fully identified as possible and that information must be shared with the appropriate US intelligence and law enforcement authorities so, hopefully, they can be prevented from entering the US and intercepted and detained if they attempt such entry.
Beyond the obvious need to prevent the entry into the US of such people, if US authorities did indeed encounter and detain such a European Islamic terrorist, quite arguably such a person would fit the classification of an “enemy combatant” from the US perspective. Assuming the intelligence and background information and evidence against such a person substantiated his having fought with the terror insurgency in Iraq against the US coalition, and that person was then captured attempting to enter the US, should he be considered and handled as a mere inadmissible alien or as an enemy combatant? With the anticipated influx into Europe of hundreds of these returning terrorists, most of whom holding European passports, US authorities may soon find themselves dealing with such issues.
Today, the Washington Times ran a report that publicizes a threat known for some time to Western intelligence and law enforcement agencies. This is the threat posed by radical Islamic Jihadis from Europe who infiltrated into Iraq to fight with al-Qaeda forces there who are now beginning to return to their Euro-homelands. These combat experienced and battle-hardened terrorist veterans, estimated to be at least in the high hundreds, who not only possess violent extremist Islamic radicalization but European citizenship, will prove to be a major challenge to the security forces of Europe. There is surely no reason to believe these hardened Jihadi fighters will leave their violent ways behind in Iraq.
European intelligence and police agencies are not alone in being concerned about these returning terrorists. As European citizens, on the surface many of these Jihadi fighters would be eligible to enter the United States under the generous Visa Waiver Program that allows citizens of 27 countries, mostly Western and Northern European countries, to temporarily enter the US without a visa...solely on their passport...for up to 90 days as a visitor. It is therefore critically important these Euro-terrorists be as fully identified as possible and that information must be shared with the appropriate US intelligence and law enforcement authorities so, hopefully, they can be prevented from entering the US and intercepted and detained if they attempt such entry.
Beyond the obvious need to prevent the entry into the US of such people, if US authorities did indeed encounter and detain such a European Islamic terrorist, quite arguably such a person would fit the classification of an “enemy combatant” from the US perspective. Assuming the intelligence and background information and evidence against such a person substantiated his having fought with the terror insurgency in Iraq against the US coalition, and that person was then captured attempting to enter the US, should he be considered and handled as a mere inadmissible alien or as an enemy combatant? With the anticipated influx into Europe of hundreds of these returning terrorists, most of whom holding European passports, US authorities may soon find themselves dealing with such issues.
posted by Marko at 5/19/2006 08:19:00 AM
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