The European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation, better known under the name Europol, released its European Union Terrorism Situation and Trend Report for 2020.
The report explains that the terrorists’ ultimate goal is to undermine societies and democratic political systems, and that it generates fear, empowers political extremes and polarises societies.
Europol’s report pulls together facts and figures on terrorist attacks and arrests in the EU in 2019, and found that:
- A total of 119 foiled, failed and completed terrorist attacks were reported by a total of 13 EU Member States
- 1,004 individuals were arrested on suspicion of terrorism-related offences in 19 EU Member States, with Belgium, France, Italy, Spain and the UK reporting the highest numbers
- Ten people died because of terrorist attacks in the EU and 27 people were injured
In Greece, there were only three jihadists arrested, an extremely low number considering 202 were arrested in France, 56 in Spain, 43 in Austria, 32 in Germany and 27 in the Netherlands.
The Europol report recounted one incident last October, when a Syrian was identified as appearing in an ISIS propaganda video showing an execution. He admitted to being an ISIS member and appearing in the video.
Although the number of Islamic-inspired terrorist attacks in Greece was non-existent, the report said that "the number of left-wing and anarchist terrorist attacks in 2019 (26) reached the level of 2016 and 2017 after a decrease in 2018. All attacks took place in Greece, Italy or Spain," adding that these three countries continue to "be the epicentre for attacks carried out by left-wing and anarchist terrorists."
Four left-wingers and anarchists were arrested last year in Greece relating to two terrorist attacks.
The report listed the Greek Revolutionary Organisation 17 November as an example of a left-wing terrorist group and Synomosia Pyrinon tis Fotias (‘Conspiracy of Cells of Fire’) as an anarchist one.
Europol explains that "in 2019 Articles 187A, 187B and 187Γ of the Greek Penal Code, covering terrorism offences, were amended by virtue of Article 1 of the Greek Law 4619/2019 and Article 3 of the Greek Law 4637/2019, in accordance with the Directive (EU) 2017/541 of the European Parliament and of the Council of the EU."
