What makes terrorist attacks by refugees that much more despicable is the fact that they are being protected by a country who believes they need help…
Police in Berlin have begun conducting mass raids of properties they believe are linked to the terrorist who killed 12 people at a Christmas market in Berlin back in December. That suspect—a Tunisian national—was seeking asylum in Germany. He fled to Italy, where he was eventually tracked down, shot, and killed by Italian police. It turns out he was also part of a mosque and community operating out of Berlin that was attempting to recruit for ISIS, and was suspected of sending recruits and equipment to conflict zones. After Berlin banned the organization, 450 law enforcement officials raided properties and businesses associated with it.
While the authorities don’t believe Berlin is in danger of another attack, they feel it’s important to send a clear message that extremism is not welcome in Germany. Although Germany has stepped up surveillance of mosques across the country since the Christmas market attack, radical Muslim extremists are quietly gathering out of public view. They are getting together in homes, abandoned buildings, and garages. Operating under the radar, these extremists are incredibly dangerous. Many of them have entered the country by taking advantage of Germany’s welcoming policy toward refugees. Even as the German police shut down official organizations and mosques, terrorists are getting online to spread their message. Hoping to recruit as many as they can within the country, their sinister plans affect not only the citizens of Germany, but actual law-abiding refugees who are doing the right thing.
In fact, the refugee community is quite vulnerable to extremism. They find themselves in a strange country without anything to call their own and become targets for recruiting. Young people are especially susceptible to the ideology that terrorists spew at them. Often, they feel as though they have found a sense of purpose. It’s scary to think that in a country as developed as Germany, this barbaric and primitive rhetoric is spreading the way that it is.
One of the tactics that can be used for terrorists to enter countries sympathetic to refugees is to pretend that they’re seeking asylum. What makes terrorist attacks by refugees that much more despicable is the fact that they are being protected by a country who believes they need help.
Following the attacks, many began to question Germany’s immigration policies. The suspect responsible for the Christmas market attack had in fact been denied asylum in Germany after it was determined that he was a security threat. Tunisia dropped the ball when they refused to accept him back. After that, he disappeared and continued to move freely in Germany. It was later determined that the suspect had visited the mosque that was tied to extremism the day that he drove a truck into a large crowd at a Christmas market.
These incidents make it hard for refugees to secure protection without scrutiny. While there are many people who actually do need the help and safety, they get mixed in with the ones who are not as harmless.
Angelina Newsom is an OpsLens Contributor and U.S. Army Veteran. She has ten years experience in the military, including a deployment to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. She studies Criminal Justice and is still active within the military community.
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