Reports suggest that eight Pakistan nationals have been arrested in Greece for plotting terror attacks. The arrests have once again brought the spotlight back on Pakistan which has been the main spreader of jihadist terrorism across the globe.
In Europe, jihadist terrorism emerged only in the 1990s. In many European countries, awareness of this new development took some time. In fact, the threat posed by jihadist terrorism was underestimated, overlooked, and often misunderstood.
Of all different kinds of political-religious terrorism, transnational jihadist terrorism is the most threatening one to western values, interests and societies. This form of terrorism is the product of a combination of Islamist ideology and the idea of the jihad.
In this regard, Pakistan origin terrorists have been at the forefront in executing this form of terrorism. In September 2020, Europe felt a sudden jolt when arrest warrants were issued for fourteen Pakistanis in Italy in connection with the terrorist attack on the Charlie Hebdo office in Paris.
It confirmed the growing presence of Pakistani radicals in Europe.
In December 2020, French authorities arrested four more Pakistani nationals who had prior knowledge of the attack. Ever since, Pakistani terror supporters have been under a constant watch in the UK, Spain, Italy, France and Germany.
In another incident of Pakistan origin terrorists planning a terror attack on European soil, Greek police arrested two Pakistani nationals in March 2023 who were allegedly planning mass-casualty terrorist attacks against Israeli and Jewish targets in the country.
Reports indicated that the target was a Chabad House, which includes a Kosher restaurant and also hosts other religious services. Their aim was not only to cause the loss of life of innocent citizens, but also to undermine the sense of security in the country, while hurting public institutions and threatening Greece’s international relations.
