Croatia’s Security and Intelligence Agency describes the country as stable although it warns that terrorist attacks in Europe have made the situation more complex in the region
A new report by Croatia’s Security and Intelligence Agency, SOA, says the security situation in the country is stable, although it adds that recent terrorist attacks in Europe show “a more complex situation in Croatia’s surroundings”.
The report, published on Sunday, says terrorist attacks in Europe, especially in France, Belgium and Bosnia, have increased the risk of terrorism in Croatia.
“Although the level of the terrorist threat from Islamist departures [Islamist fighters leaving for the Middle East] is very low for the Republic of Croatia, the level of the terrorist threat has increased for the whole of Europe as well as for Croatia,” it warns.
The report says local followers of radical interpretations of Islam number only a few dozens persons, most of whom do not advocate terrorism.
Although these groups pose no significant threat, the report warns of radical Islamic enclaves in neighbouring countries, noting that around 900 people, mostly from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Macedonia and Serbia’s Sandzak region, went to Syria and Iraq to fight, mostly for ISIS and Al-Qaeda.
According to the SOA, around 300 of these self-styled jihadists have since returned to Croatia’s neighbouring countries.
The SOA report devotes more space to extremist groups within certain sports fan groups, which it says endanger Croatia’s security and reputation with their “violence and extremist rhetoric”.
The report mentions both left and right-wing extremist groups, but says they are small and poorly organised.
Nevertheless, it says potential for strengthening extremism lies in “consequences of war trauma and unresolved international relations,” noting Croatia’s rocky relations with Serbia and with the Serbs in Croatia.
Expression of support for Greater Serbia are strengthening in the region, gathering some supporters from Serbs in Croatia, according to the SOA.
“What is worrying is that expressions of Greater-Serbian and Chetnik [Serbian nationalist] extremism on the territory of Croatia are increasingly noticeable even among the younger population. In addition, supporters of the Chetnik movement express extremely anti-NATO attitudes,” report said.
Regarding the refugee crisis that hit Croatia and the Balkans last September, the SOA noticed that it passed off without significant security incidents, although some terrorist groups used the mass migration to transfer their members to Western Europe.
Regarding intelligence agents of other countries operating in Croatia, the report claims that they often “act as diplomats in embassies”, and are trying to shape public opinion by “abusing Croatia’s media space for their interests” and “representing Croatia’s foreign policy and Croatia’s allies in a bad light”.
balkaninsight.com
